Stranded
by D-Chan3
Summary: Usual disclaimers applyAkane's won a modeling contest and has to travel to Tahiti......guess who has to go with her?
1. Default Chapter

The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the creation and possession of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and her licensees (Shogakukan Inc., Kitty-Fuji TV, Viz Communications Inc.) No copyright infringement is intended. 

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Prologue:

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! YES, yes ! yes! I got the job! Daddy, Nabiki Kasumi! I got the job!" Akane yelled as she ran around the house looking for her family. Charging into the room she spotted her erstwhile fiancé and family sitting at the table. Ranma, a pair of chopsticks sticking out of his mouth, had a shocked expression on his face. He blinked a few times before asking in a puzzled tone, "Whadya you mean you got the job? What job are ya talking about?"   
  
"I entered a modeling contest a few months ago by sending in a picture of myself. The winner gets an all expense paid trip to Tahiti for the photo shoot," Akane tilted her head slightly, simultaneously flashing a smile that should have been considered an illegal weapon. "The plane leaves in two days and I have to pack. The shoot is for a week and then I will be coming back home. She held out a sheet of paper with the contest details. Can I go daddy? Please?"

"No," Soun declared firmly. "I can not allow my daughter to degrade herself. . ."

"Says here the winner gets Ten-million Yen." Nabiki remarked, looking over Akane's shoulder. 

" . . .and Ten-Million is a very honorable number."

"Oh dear," Kasumi looked at the contest rules. "Akane shouldn't go by herself."

"I'm not a baby!"

"Ranma will go with her." Kasumi said, as if that settled everything.

Ranma opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it with a snap. Arguing with Kasumi was like trying to catch smoke. "Hai," he said simply. Sighing, he stood up and began trudging towards the stairs with a slightly dejected look on his face. In his thoughts however he was glad to be getting away from the craziness of Nerima. 

"Man, why do I always gotta go with Akane whenever she decides to go somewhere. I know that we're engaged an all, but this is ridiculous. Then again, its gonna be great without th' other girls botherin' me. I better go pack, seeing as how it looks like Kasumi won't give in. Besides it's only for a week," Ranma said to himself as he climbed the stairs. Then he heard Akane calling his name.

"Ranma! Where are you going?" she said as she glanced at her fiancé who was climbing the stairs.

"To pack ya tomboy!" he replied.

"What's the matter with you? You're actually agreeing with this?!" Akane said with a slightly puzzled expression on her face.

"Yeah, there's no point in arguing, just look at your sister's face! I have no choice, besides your gonna need someone there ta protect ya!" Ranma said as he started to climb the stairs again.

"Why you! Are you saying that I can't protect myself? I don't need you to come along! I'm a Martial Artist too you know!" Akane proclaimed as she stalked closer towards Ranma to stand in front of him, both of them were standing nose to nose.

Ranma glared at his fiancée and said without thinking, "Hey if th' shoe fits ya Uncute macho tomboy!"

"You Jerk!" Akane yelled as she raised her left hand and proceeded to punch Ranma in the face. Only this time Ranma did something that she never would ever expect. He grabbed her fist in mid-swing, just before it connected with his cheek. Switching his grip he flipped Akane in the air and then caught her on his shoulder in a fireman's carry. This left Akane too shocked and stunned to do anything except hang there and gape like a fish out of water.  
  
"Come on Akane, we have ta pack for th' trip or by the time you're done, we'll miss th' plane." Ranma said as he trudged up the stairs.

Akane couldn't get any leverage to do much damage except one thing and that was pinch Ranma on his rear end. "There's no way I'm going to do that," she thought to herself, then noticing the unnatural silence coming from the living room, she glanced back towards her family. They were all frozen in shock, neither one had moved since they saw Ranma block Akane's punch and flip her in the air. 

"Ranma. ..!  


Five minutes passed before the first of the Tendos unfroze. "I didn't see that! I must have been dreaming," Nabiki said as she turned towards her oldest sister Kasumi. "Tell me I didn't see that."

"Oh my, that's the first time I've actually seen Ranma do that. Why do you suppose hid did that to Akane father?" Kasumi said as she glanced at Soun with a slight frown on her face.

"I have no idea Kasumi, usually Ranma would be soaring through the sky by now," Soun said while staring off into space in confusion. 

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"Soun, I think this would be a great opportunity for them to get to know each other better," Genma said to his friend as he moved over towards the Shoji board and sat down.

"Yes Saotome, this will give them a chance to get to know each other better and if Akane wins the contest, we'll be able to pay the bills for another year. Do you think they would have agreed to this if I forced them to go together? When they come back we'll have everything ready for them," Soun said as he smiled not unlike his middle daughter Nabiki when she had a patsy in mind.

"What do you mean Tendo?" Genma said as he moved a game piece.

"Why the wedding plans of course!" Soun replied as his grin blossomed into that of a shark.

"Ah, now I get it," Genma replied. Then both of them stood up, placed a foot on the game board and whispered loudly while waving fans in the air. "Its Genma and Soun's Operation Marriage!"

Sniff, Sniff. "Saotome, I just realized that my daughter will be leaving me and I won't be able to protect her," Soun said as he raised his arm to cover his watering eyes.

"Don't worry Tendo, my boy will do the right thing if he knows what's good for him, Akane will be fine," Genma replied as he walked his friend out of the room. "In the mean time, why don't we have some of the Masters stash of Saki to celebrate!"

"Good idea Saotome, good idea," Soun said as he walked out of the room with a slight spring in his steps. 

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	2. The Trip!

Chapter 2

"RANMA! It's all your fault that we missed the connecting flight! Why you- had- to go and get something to eat to feed that bottomless pit you call a stomach...I'll never know!" Akane ranted as she saw their plane taking off. She was very upset about missing it since this was her one and only time for stardom. Not to mention all that money that she'd make going towards her college fund. All of those missed opportunities vanishing right before her eyes made Akane angry.

"Hey! It's not like I could grab somethin' on th' plane! I mean, have ya tasted their food!" Ranma yelled back, getting angry himself. He was tired from the nine-hour flight from Japan to Tupal. During the flight he had kept watch for anyone who looked crossways at Akane and didn't get much sleep. Twice, while Akane slept in-flight, he had to remind some pervert to keep their hands to themselves. And they still had another six hours to go in order to reach the island of Hauhine. 

Akane admitted to herself that the food was gross but that was no excuse to miss their flight. Sighing, she decided to try and get along with Ranma or die trying, taking a deep calming breath Akane replied tiredly, "Ranma, I really don't want to fight right now. We need to find a way to get to Hauhine for the photo shoot. I've got to get there before tomorrow. Do you have any ideas?"

Ranma thought for a few moments and remembered chartering a flight with his father when he was still on his training journey. "Um...Akane?"

"Yes Ranma, what is it?"

"Back when me an pop were training, we had ta charter a flight from one island ta another when we visited th' islands around Hati. I remember that pop wanted me ta learn their fighting style an' incorporate it into Anything Goes."

"You mean we could get someone to fly us out to Hauhine?"

"Uh, Yeah."

"Do you think we have enough money?"

"Don't know until we ask," Ranma replied before he started looking around the terminal for anyone who looked like a pilot. Spotting someone off to the side, Ranma made his way over and tried to get his attention, "Excuse me, sir?"

The pilot glanced up from drinking his coffee and spotted a kid with a pigtail and a young girl following right behind. "Yeah man, what you want with Spinner?" he asked in heavily accented Japanese.

"We missed our flight an' I was wonderin' if you're lookin' ta make some extra money?" Ranma replied, as he looked the guy over. He had noticed the cut of the man's clothes were out of date and that he looked to be in desperate need of the cash.

"Man, Spinner could take you were you want to go. Ain't no job too hard for Spinner!" the pilot announced proudly while thumbing his chest. Squinting his eyes, the pilot named a price that was a little bit too steep, "One thousand."

"Too much," Ranma barked out and then came back with his own. "Four hundred." 

Akane stood next to Ranma watching the proceedings and was amazed at how good he was at haggling the pilot down to a fair price. As she pondered this she could feel the exhaustion asserting itself. Her eyelids began to droop and her chin started gravitating towards her chest. She decided to lean against Ranma to rest for a bit.

Ranma had noticed that Akane was leaning against him but he was too busy concentrating on getting them a flight out to Hauhine to complain about it. It wasn't until her full weight slumped against his side that he had to split his attention for a few moments and put an arm around her waist. Ranma smiled briefly before turning his attention back to the pilot, catching his answer to the counter offer he had just given.

"Deal!" the pilot shouted and held out his hand to seal the agreement. They shook on it and the pilot told him that he needed to fuel up his chopper in order to get to Hauhine. "Wait here for half an hour and I'll come and get you. 

  
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Akane was awakened suddenly when the sound of thunder shook the heavens. Blinking the sleep from her eyes and looking around, she could see that she was in some type of vehicle. Judging by the sound it's makingit must be a helicopter. I'm glad Ranma was able to get us a charterspeaking of which, where is he, Akane muttered to herself while searching for him. Akane finally spotted him fast asleep in his own seat and began to relax until a shudder shook the aircraft. Quickly she unbuckled her seatbelt and made her way over to his side.

Ranma! Wake upcome-on you big jerkwake up, Akane pleaded with the pigtailed boy while shaking his shoulder roughly. When he still wouldn't awaken, Akane resorted to her usual way of getting him up by screaming into his ear, This is no time to be sleeping when there's something wrong!

Mmm...whazit, `Kane, Ranma mumbled sleepily as he smacked his lips together and tried to roll over in his seat. He didn't get to far due to the grip Akane had on his shoulder as she continued to shake him. 

Ranma! Get UP! Akane yelled one more time and raising her voice to the point where it could be considered a sonic boom.

he screamed as he leapt straight up from his seat. I'm upI'm up, Ranma yelled as he clung to the ceiling of the chopper. Then, noticing that it was Akane who'd scared him out of several years of his life he dropped down to the floor and yelled, Whadja do that for!

Akane started her explanation while completely ignoring his last question. Good. Now, if you haven't noticedwe seem to be caught in a storm. Akane pointed out to him while struggling to get the last of her thoughts out before she lost her courage, and I don't like it one bit. I have a really bad feeling about this. Can you go check on the pilot?

Ranma glared at Akane for a few moments in resentment and thought, "Why'd she have ta go'n wake me up for...I'll make her eat her own cooking for wakin` me up." Finally, he noticed how nervous she was and that with each rumble of thunder that echoed inside the cabin, Akane flinched. It was so slight that an ordinary person wouldn't have noticed. But, since he was adept at reading his opponents, he noticed it right away. 

Grudgingly, Ranma gave in, sighing he replied, Alright, fine. I'll go check ta see what's goin on. Turning, he made his way towards the cockpit and just as he was about to step inside there was a bright flash of light and the helicopter swung violently to the right. Ranma grabbed for anything that he could steady himself with and pulled himself back towards the cockpit where he could hear the pilot yelling franticly.

"May day, may day! Echo Charlie 2990_34 B. Fuel running low...line busted lightning struck rear propellerdon't know if can make it to... Suddenly the radio went dead. Aww Shitstupid radio," the pilot started to curse in his native language which Ranma had trouble understanding what he was saying but, the pigtailed youth didn't need anyone to translate for him since he had a sudden premonition that they were in deep trouble. 

"Hey Spinner!" Ranma yelled as he stuck his head inside the cockpit. "What's goin' on?"

"Man...Spinner here say we hit big storm...not hear on radio about any storm but, out here in the islands, the weather do sometimes be very strange!" Ranma could see the pilot start to sweat as he fought to control the helicopter against the strong winds while the pilot continued talking, "Spinner think we hit very, very bad storm...maybe even typhoon. I try to get close to land so we can stay over night!" the pilot yelled over the noise of the storm. 

What's going on! Akane yelped as she grabbed the chair back for support. The chopper shuddered and swung to the right this time and another flash of light lit up the sky accompanied by a booming noise, then the motor went silent.

"Shit!" Ranma yelled when he heard the motor go dead. His blood turned ice cold in his veins. He was afraid, not for himself, but for Akane. Ranma hoped that the pilot would manage to get them close to a landmass before they crashed. 

"Boy!" the pilot yelled from the cockpit.

"Yeah?"

"Open the sliding door...we over land now. I try to get to clearing and close to the ground before you have to jump," Spinner called as he fought to control the shuddering helicopter and preying that he could keep it on a steady course. 

"Ok!" Ranma replied as he made his way over towards the door. Quickly, he slid it open and was hit by violent wind gusts that he had trouble standing. Turning towards his fiancée he yelled, "Akane! Hold on tightly ta anything that's nailed down!" 

"Ranma what's going on!" Akane yelled frantically as she struggled to make her way over towards him and the bar that Ranma was currently gripping. 

"We're goin' down Akane! The motor's gone an' the fule line's broken! The pilot says that he's going ta try ta get as close ta th' ground an' in a clearing so`s we can jump!"

"Okayieeeeeeee!" Akane's answer turned into a scream as the helicopter tilted violently towards the right, which was the side of the opened hatch. Ranma watched in horror as Akane slid out of the cabin and into open air.

"AKANEEEE!" he screamed and lunged to try and grasp her outstretched hand as she fell. Suddenly, the chopper tilted in the opposite direction, flinging him against the opposite side of the chopper. Then, just as it tilted left, it reversed itself and tilted to the right, flinging Ranma out of the cabin as well. "Aaaaaaa!" he screamed as he fell. Looking down, Ranma knew that this was going to hurt when he hit the trees. "Akane, where is she! I'm going ta have ta find her an' she might be really hurt when I do! Ranma thought to himself as he scanned the forest as he fell the last few feet. When he looked up for the helicopter, it had disappeared from the sky. 

"Thank kami, we weren't that high up...." was his last thought before he fell through the trees and struck a branch and tried to ricochet off of it to lessen the impacted but he misjudged it and slipped. When he hit the ground, Ranma felt a sharp pain in his wrist, side and head, and then everything went black   


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Akane screamed as the helicopter tilted violently towards the right. As Akane slid towards the opening she scrabbled for purchase on the slick flooring but it was no use. "RANMAAAA!" she screamed again, as she fell out of the cabin and into open air but the wind carried her voice away, unheard.  
  
Akane heard Ranma screaming her name as she fell rapidly towards the trees. She knew that this was going to hurt a lot if she didn't push out any other distractions and concentrate on making a decent landing. Pulling together all of her martial arts skills and abilities, Akane straightened her self out and tried to see where she was headed. 

Closer and closer she came until she was level with the treetops. Quickly, reaching out her hands, Akane tried to catch herself but as her hands grasped the fist branch, the force of her fall snapped it in half, sending her hurtling towards the ground. Determinedly, Akane kept trying to slow her fall but each time her fingers grasped a branch, it broke. As Akane tried one more time she managed to stop her fall but she could feel a sharp pain stinging her palms and blood started to drip onto her cheek. Looking down, Akane could see that she was very far off of the ground and her arms were starting to ache with the strain of several pulled muscles and of trying to hold her weight. Slowly her hands started slipping, she tried to get a firmer grasp on the branch but it was no use, Akane fell screaming towards the ground. As she fell her head impacted painfully with a branch, she fought back the pain until she struck the ground; Akane felt something snap in her leg before everything went black.

  
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Dawn finally broke over the shore of a small island in the Pacific Ocean, shining its rays onto the figure of the unconscious girl lying on the ground deep within a forest. Groaning, she opened her eyes and tried to get up while checking for any injuries, her stomach rebelled as the world around her spun crazily. When everything calmed and her stomach stopped churning, she decided to try to stand. As Akane placed her full weight on her right leg, pain was the first thing that registered in her psyche, causing her to yell, "AAAAAhhhhhhh!" 

Running her hands down over her injured leg, she could detect a slight irregularity in the alignment of the bones. Akane knew then that her leg was broken. Tears of pain and frustration ran down her cheeks as the events of the past few days came crashing down on her. The Tendo girl cried silently for a few moments before the dam of the last ten years finally broke. In moments she was sobbing her heart out. Part of it was in the fear that she would never see her family again. Another part of the fear stemmed from the fact that she was alone in this place with only Ranma for company. . . 

"RANMA! Oh my god, where's Ranma?" she said as she franticly turned her head in every direction while trying to locate him. There was nothing in site except trees and more trees for miles around. She could distantly hear the surf pounding against the shore. This led her to believe that she was close to the beach. Akane knew that she had to find Ranma if she wanted to survive out here. She wasn't used to being away from home and she knew that her cooking was less than stellar. She also knew that Ranma knew how to survive off of the land since he had always rubbed it in during their training trips. But, first she needed to set her leg properly and find a walking stick.

Akane glanced around herself and spotted a tree root sticking out of the ground and forming a half circle before being immersed in the ground once more. "Perfect," Akane muttered as she carefully maneuvered her injured leg closer towards the root. This would help her hold her leg immobile. She needed to use all of her weight to push against the tree root in order to set the bones. She didn't have a doctor to do it for her so Akane decided that she needed to do it quickly or it might cause further problems. "I've broken my arm before so I know this is going to hurt a lot. The only thing I'm worried about is infection setting in. I remember Dr. Tofu giving me a shot to fight any infections the last time," she murmured quietly as she inserted her foot under the root and making sure it was lodged tight. Satisfied that it wasn't going to move, Akane braced her other foot and gave a quick prayer. Breathing deeply, Akane suddenly pushed with all of her might. Feeling the bones shift sent excruciating pain up her leg and Akane couldn't help but scream in agony, "Aaaaaaaaa!" 

Startled from their foriging, the native birds suddenly took flight. Their shrill screams were muted by Akane's scream of pain as she once again set herself and pushed, this time she managed to set the bone properly but when the pain reached its peak, Akane passed out. The unconscious Tendo's scream echoed throughout the forest and reached the other side of the island.  
  
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Ranma-chan awoke to hear the last echoes of a scream fade from the air. Every muscle on her body hurt and her head and wrist throbbed with pain. Ranma-chan grabbed her head and groaned, "Oh man, it feels like `Kane used one of her mallets on my head." Groaning, she rolled over onto her stomach then to her knees just a little bit too fast. Everything started spinning and she could feel the gorge rising into her throat. Ranma-chan braced herself, as she became violently ill. When her surrounding stopped rolling and spinning she managed to gain control of her stomach and panted. "Must...have...a...concussion," she murmured while swallowing and forcing down the rising bile that continued to plague her. 

After twenty minutes she felt good enough to try and stand and finally managed to get a good look at her surroundings. "Ok, I see trees an` more trees...great I have no idea where I am at the moment `cept I'm lost on an island in a friggin forest and Akane's lost," Ranma-chan muttered before starting to trudge in the direction she thought that Akane might have landed. After an hour of walking Ranma-chan began to get worried since she had yet to see any sign of Akane. "I've got ta  
find that tomboy, there's no way she could survive out here by herself," she whispered feeling the worry deep in her gut. Pausing, Ranma took a look around and spotted a nearby stream. 

It was around late afternoon and the heat in the forest was oppressive, Ranma-chan welcomed the chance to quench her thirst and ran over to get a drink. As she was bending down and reaching for a handful of water, Another scream echoed through the forest, Ranma started in surprise. She knew that scream anywhere. "Akane!" Ranma yelled while quickly jumping to her feet and listening for more. When she didn't hear another scream she began to get really worried. She could tell the general direction where it had come from but it sounded so far away. Ranma figured that this must be a very large island. 

Ranma-chan took a quick drink of water, and was surprised when she changed, "The water's warm!" Satisfied and no longer thirsty, Ranma set out in the direction of where the scream had come from, he estimated that he was maybe a few days travel before he could find the area over where Akane had fallen. Already he could hear the strange calls of the nocturnal animals as they started to stir. One sound in particular made him cringe. It was a deep-throated roar. "That sounds like a c-c-cat," Ranma muttered while looking around for what had made the noise. The sound came once more causing him to look up, Ranma relaxed as he realized it wasn't a cat but a strange creature he had never seen before, it looked to be a cross between a monkey and its face had slightly feline-ish features. But that was were the noise was coming from, he breathed a quick sigh in relief before glancing over towards the darkening sky. It would be night soon and he was very worried about Akane. "I wonder what other types of strange animals are on this island? And I hope the tomboy will be alright until I find her," he whispered to himself as he continued to trudge into the darkening forest.

  
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When Akane awoke she gingerly felt her leg. Satisfied that her leg had been set she removed it from the root that still trapped it. Looking around, she spotted a few sturdy branches that would keep her leg immobilized, grabbing them and placing them by her side, Akane proceeded to tear strips out of her shirt. When the task of binding her leg was completed, Akane started searching the ground for branches that were suitable enough to be used as a walking stick. Spotting one just out of reach, she tried to stretch herself out to the fullest in order to reach it. When her fingers only gripped leaves she cursed, "Damn, that didn't work. I think I'm going to have to crawl over there in order to get it...thisis _really_ going to hurt." With those muttered words, the youngest Tendo proceeded to pull herself towards the sturdy looking branch about a hundred yards away. 

With each movement, pain shot up her leg and almost caused her to pass out. Akane gritted her teeth against the pain and pushed it back while concentrating on getting that branch and then finding Ranma. By the time she reached the branch she was covered in sweat and trembling from exertion. Her leg was killing her and she had tears running down her face. Above all else, Akane wished that she could have some pain medication

  
Finally reaching her goal, Akane attempted to stand and wobbled unsteadily. As she stood up, her head started to pound and the scenery around her spun crazily, Akane felt like she was going to throw-up. Breathing deeply, she waited for everything to settle before she finally turned around searching for the easiest path out of the undergrowth. Spotting a small beaten path leading away from where she stood, Akane proceeded to make slow progress away from where she had fallen. Her stomach growled in hunger, startling a few birds from their perches. I'll find us something to eat soon, she murmured quietly while searching for anything that could be edible. After several hours of slow travel, Akane finally spotted a few fruit trees that she thought she recognized. She briefly remembered watching a nature show about what types of trees grew in the tropics and which ones were safe for human consumption. Picking a few fruits that looked ripe, Akane continued her search for Ranma. It was getting dark and the forest echoed with a loud roar, Akane started, quickly glancing around as she tried to located the source of the noise. Not finding anything, she knew that she couldn't stay out in the open. I don't like the sound of thatit could be a dangerous animal. I'd better start looking for a place to sleep, she muttered while searching for any type of shelter. 

  
Spotting a giant hollow tree, Akane smiled at her luck and quickly made for it in the fading light. As she got close enough, she saw that the opening was too large and would probably allow a predator to get to her if she didn't block it with something. Looking around, she spotted a small boulder that would just about cover the gap but would leave enough room for air to pass through. It was only a matter of pushing it the last few feet to get it close enough so that she could pull it over the entrance to be safe. 

It took her well over an hour and a lot of pain from her injured leg to get the boulder to the right spot. Panting from the exertion, Akane slowly crawled into the hollow and with the last of her strength, pulled it over the opening. The youngest Tendo closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. 

During the middle of the night, loud growling and scratching sounds awaked her, as something tried to get to her from the other side. Snapping her eyes open, Akane listened carefully as she tightened her grip on her walking stick. Focusing her eyes on the opening, she waited there in the dark came a brief flash of glowing eyes. Not waiting for the thing to stick its paw through the opening, Akane lashed out with the tip of the branch and was rewarded by a loud roar of pain. Akane didn't get much sleep the rest of the night as she stayed awake, ready for the thing to return. Oh, Ranmawhere are you, she whispered quietly as she shivered in fear waiting for dawn to break.

  
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The next morning found Ranma high in the treetops, sprawled between two large branches that formed a cradle. Yawning, the pigtailed boy stretched before rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes. He hadn't slept all that well last night; he kept jumping at all the strange noises. Every time he heard a sound that he failed to recognize his fear for Akane's safety escalated. He knew that he needed to find her and he was determined to make sure he accomplished it today. 

Quickly, the pigtailed boy climbed down from his high perch in the treetops. Once on the ground he headed off in the direction that he had heard her scream originate from. During his trek, he found more fruit trees, so he took advantage of the fact and took some for the journey. As he traveled he absently noticed that the ground had started to slope upwards. Must be climbing a mountain or somethin, he muttered to himself as he stepped over a large downed tree trunk. 

Soon the traveling became difficult as the underbrush became thicker; Ranma had to continually push it aside to move forwards. Dammit! Stupid forestStupid plants! Ranma yelled getting frustrated. His frustration reached new heights when he stopped the fiftieth time to push the brush aside. This slowed down any progress he was currently making. Hang on Kane, I'm gonna find ya! Ranma growled. He was determined to not let her stay out here alone another night. Sides, if I don't find her.an she gets hurtMr. Tendo'll kill me!

  
Finally, Ranma spotted a patch of sunlight coming through the brush, he was so relieved to finally be able to get out of the thick underbrush that he didn't even think about where he was going. "Alright! Finally, I'll be out of this stupid forest!" Picking up the pace, Ranma burst through and into a small clearing at the edge of a cliff. His balance was off slightly, windmilling his arms; Ranma managed to regain it in the nick of time. Fhew! That was close, he muttered as he glanced downward. Well, I'm not gonna find Akane from up here so I'd better go over there, he said to himself as he turned around to head off towards the ocean. Unfortunately, his foot slid out from under him, Ranma screamed as he tumbled off of the cliff. Then he was airborne for a brief few seconds before his back slammed into a hard surface, his head connected with something hard, then he knew nothing more as unconsciousness took him.

  
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As Akane crested the rise of the mountain she blinked in wonder at the beautiful site spread out before her. She could see the beach and its pristine carillon waters to her right and to her left she could see all the way to the other side of the island. Suddenly, she heard a groaning noise. Akane glanced around as she tried to find where it had come from. There it was again, glancing down, Akane saw Ranma lying on a ledge about thirty feet down. Oh, my God! she exclaimed in shock. He must have slipped and fell. I've got to get him to wake up,' Akane muttered to herself, she was very worried that if she didn't wake him up soon, he might roll over and accidentally fall off the ledge. 

"Ranma! Akane called loudly as she lowered herself to the ground. Please wake up!" she pleaded with him, but he still didn't move. "That's it! I'm going to have to climb down there to wake him up," Akane muttered to herself as she scanned the rocks for any hand holds. As Akane climbed down she almost lost her grip when the small crack she had inserted her fingers into, crumbled. Quickly, she scrambled to find another one; she sighed in relief as she located it just a few inches below the first. Shifting her grip, Akane selected another spot and then moved her good leg to try to locate a place to put her foot. It took a while for her to make it half way down the cliff face due to her broken leg. Akane had only gone a few more feet when she lost her grip and slid painfully down the rest of the way. She was lucky to land on the ledge but the force of the landing jarred her injured leg. "AAAAA!" she screamed before pushing aside the pain and crawling as fast as she could to Ranma's side.

"Come on, Ranma get up!" Akane said as she shook him gently then more roughly when there was no response to her prodding. "I hope he's not hurt too badly," she said to herself as she continued to shake him. After a few more minutes of shaking him her arms were starting to get tired but she doggedly continued, "Ranma!" 

When she still received no response, Akane thought she should check him over for any bumps on his head just in case of a concussion. Turning him over onto his side since there wasn't much room on the ledge that he had landed on, Akane noticed a cut just below his hairline. It wasn't serious as it could have been but what worried her is that it was close to his temple and there was a bit of blood seeping from the wound. Biting her lip in concentration she tried to remember the lessons she took in first aid class about how to treat a concussed person. But, every time she tried to think farther than a few days ago her head started to pound. 

"I might have a slight concussion too," she murmured placing her right hand to her brow briefly before reaching out and gently running her fingers over Ranma's wound, bringing a response from him that was quite unexpected. 

"Akaneee. . . ," he groaned as he turned his face into the caress. After a few minutes his eyes started to flutter, then he started to move his left arm towards his head groaning a bit more to express the discomfort he was in. "Owww, did anyone catch th' number of that bus?" he muttered. 

Akane laughed as tears ran from her eyes, that caused Ranma to snap his attention directly in her direction. "Akane?. . . Wha' happened? Where are we. . . th' last thing I remember was bein' on the helicopter and fallin' out. Then when I woke up I started ta look for ya. I musta slipped and fell," Ranma said as he sat up with his hand to his head.

"I'm not sure Ranma. I think that the pilot got us as close to one of the islands before the chopper rolled and I was thrown out. Thank kami...we landed on the ground in stead of in the water," Akane said thinking about how she always sank like a stone when she was in the water. As she shifted in place, Akane tried to keep as much weight off of her injured leg as possible, but even though she tried not to jar it, she let out a wimper of pain. 

"Akane! What's the matter? Did you hurt your leg?" Ranma asked her as he turned in her direction and started to lean his weight on his right wrist. This proved to not be such a good idea as he hissed in pain. "Oww! Damn that hurts," he said as he sat up straight while grabbing his wrist. Turning his attention to his wrist, Ranma hoped that he hadn't damaged it further in the fall. Satisfied that it wasn't broken, he ripped off a few strips of cloth from his favorite shirt to make a makeshift brace.

"Ranma what's the matter?" Akane said as she turned to face him while reaching out her hands to see if there was any real damage. 

"Awww, its nothin' Akane. I just sprained my wrist really badly when I fell out of th' chopper, that's all," he said as he tried to wrap the brace tightly around his wrist.

"Here, let me do that," Akane said as she snatched the cloth away from him and started to wind it around his hand, concentrating on the task she was performing with such care as to not move it anymore than she had too. "To answer your question about my legwell its broken. I reset it the first day here. I'm pretty sure I did it right. Glancing up from what she was doing Akane suggested, While I'm doing this, why don't you look around to see if you can spot the helicopter. You can see for miles from this height," she said.

Ranma nodded his head in agreement and turning his attention towards the scenery around them he started scanning for any indication of the helicopter while he said absently, So tha's why ya screamed. I thought somethin' was attacking you. As his gaze roamed over the thick brush, he spotted some smoke drifting through the trees just below what looked like a volcano. 

Yeah, it really hurt. I passed out from the pain and when I woke up later, I bound my leg with these branches, Akane replied pointing towards her leg.

Ranma winced sympathetically, before spotting somethin in the distance and squinted. What the. . . he muttered while raising his hand to block the bright sunlight from his eyes. 'Kane. . . I think I've located th' chopper. Oh, an' I see a volcano

Akane asked him, getting excited about seeing their only ticket off of the island. Is the helicopter in one piece?

I can't see it all that good from here, Ranma replied squinting his eyes from the bright sunlight.

Suddenly, they heard a low rumbling noise and the ground started shaking. Akane's eyes widened, What the hell is that?

Um, I don't think you're going to like this butithnklmph, Ranma started to explain but mumbled the last bit out since he really didn't want to scare her.

What was that you said? Akane asked as she gave him a particularly evil glare.

Ranma saw how serious she was at wanting to know and heaved a sigh, I think th' volcano is active

Akane shouted.

Ya heard me, he replied wearily.

she blinked a few more times before it finally sank in. Then she screamed in near panic, We have got to get off this island! What if it blows up!

Ah, don't worry 'bout it Kane, it's not like we're goin' anywhere right now. I'll have ta go check it out first thing tomorrow mornin'. But, first we have ta get down from here. Come on," Ranma reached out his hand and helped Akane to her feet, staying as close as possible to the face of the cliff. "Ya think you can climb up on your own...I'll...ah..make sure you don't fall," Ranma stuttered while blushing.

"Sure that will be fine," she replied, totally missing the rush of color to his face since she was looking for handholds on the rocky ledge just above them.

he replied as he positioned himself in back of her. Ranma waited until Akane had climbed up a few feet before following right behind her. They had been climbing for a good ten minutes and he was getting irritated. Ranma knew Akane could do better than this even with a busted leg so he decided to motivate her a bit, Hey! Ya think you can go any slower! I think I jus' saw a snail pass ya by!

Akane heard this got angry. Shut up, Ranma! I'm doing the best I can right now. 

Gee, an I thought that with that tomboy strength of yours you'd have been over th' top by nowheck, Shan-Pu woulda beet ya there already, he teased her.

Akane growled, picking up the pace she reached for another handhold and managed to pull herself up by the sheer strength of her arms alone. Her thoughts centered around the comment of that amazon hussy being faster than her. This made Akane furious. Glancing down over her shoulder, Akane panted a reply, Hufff, when we getto the top, I'm gona brain you

Ranma grinned as he saw the glare she shot him. He stuck out his tongue at her while giving her a raspberry, Ha, I'd like ta see ya try! Then, Ranma concentrated on climbing; he could hear Akane's angry growls as she pulled herself up the cliff face. Chuckling, he admitted, "it's fun to push Akane's buttons like that." After five more minutes of climbing, he glanced upwards to see Akane disappear over the lip and onto solid ground once more. Ranma followed two seconds later, throwing himself on the ground beside her; he let her get her breath back before standing.

  
Come on, Tomboy! We gotta get to th' place where I saw that smoke comin' from, Ranma said as he held out a hand to help her rise.

Akane panted for breath, her sudden energy burst had tired her out more than she would have liked to admit. Grinning ruefully, she even admitted, "Arrg! I'm so tired that I don't even have the strength to pull out my mallet." Seeing Ranma offering to help her warmed a small corner of Akane's heart and she was grateful for it. Reaching out her hand, she allowed him to pull her up, Thanks, Ranma. Walking beside him, Akane thought, "I'll pound him later....when I get my strength back."

Hey, no sweat, he replied as he began walking. 

  
It took them most of the day to reach the edge of the forest since Ranma had stopped frequently to allow her to rest. He'd noticed the pained grunts she had emitted with every step. Glancing up, Ranma noted the position on the sun and sighed. It was getting dark and he had hoped to find a place to set up camp. We need to start setting up a place to sleep for the night. This is just as good as any, right now, he said glancing around the sandy beach. 

I guess this is fine, Akane replied absently as she gazed out over the ocean.

  
"Can ya stay here for a bit? he asked as he started walking back into the forest. I gotta get some fire wood.

Ranma! You can't just leave me here! There are wild animals on this island! Akane yelled to her fiancé's retreating back.

Ahh, there's nothin ta worry about Akane, it's an island and the only wild animals it might have are snakes and maybe if we're lucky, some wild boars. `Sides you said ya could take care of yourself `member? Ranma replied as he glanced back over his shoulder towards Akane who just glared at him while grinding her teeth in frustration.

Akane yelled as he disappeared from sight. She didn't really want to admit that she was scared to be left behind, she remembered the thing that had kept her up late the other night. Akane shuddered in fear, she knew she hadn't gotten a good look at it but she was determined to not become its next meal. Akane thought, This is my first time so far away from home and I'm determined to show Ranma that I can take care of myself. Muttering a few obscenities under her breath, Akane compared Ranma to the worst things that she could think of while trying to get her thoughts in order. 

Okay, one. I'm injured and so is Ranma. And two, we seem to be stuck on an island with no food, water or shelter! What else could go wrong! Okay. . . Akane you have to calm down. . . When he comes back I'm sure that everything will be fine and we can leave after repairing the helicopter. Nodding to herself, Akane grabbed a large pointed stick before she crawled over to a downed tree a few feet away. She decided to sit there while leaning against the trunk to wait for Ranma to return.

He might take awhile to get back here. . . I wish he would bring back some thing to eat though, Akane said as she covered her growling stomach with her hand and directed her gaze out to sea. Might as well enjoy the scenery.

***************************************************************

As Ranma trudged through the thick underbrush of the tropical jungle, he couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into now. It would be just my luck ta end up stuck here with that macho chick of a tomboy, he muttered to himself as he pushed aside an overhanging branch then ducked beneath the biggest snake he had ever seen. Man, when Akane sees that there are snakes of that size on this island she'll probably freak out. Oh man, I gotta stop talking ta myself and find where th' chopper landed, he said as he jumped over a rotted log and landed in a clearing. 

As he landed, Ranma looked around and saw a few hot springs to the right and further on in that direction he could see the smoke much better now, and just behind the smoke he could see the volcano. He turned to the left to further inspect the area as a faint sound caught his attention. Squinting in the bright light he tried to look a little deeper into the forest. There! A waterfall! All Right! We've got fresh water and hot water! I don't have to worry about being stuck as a girl now! he said, smiling he turned towards the right and started to walk in the direction the smoke was coming from.

After fifteen minutes of walking he finally saw the chopper, or what was left of it. Ranma tried to see if the pilot had survived and began searching around it and that it was apparently engulfed in flames. His searching proved to be disheartening as he walked towards a pile of rocks where he though he saw some suit cases lying on the ground. As he got close enough to see if it was their clothing, he noticed a hand sticking out from the bushes two yards away. "Man I hope he's alive. Th' chopper's a goner an' so is th' radio. If this guys not alive I'll be alone on this island with...Akane."

When he got close enough to see the pilot, Ranma suddenly wished that he hadn't. He could see that the pilot had somehow been thrown from the chopper. The condition that the body was in made him sick to his stomach. Covering his mouth and dashing over to the nearest bush, Ranma threw up his dinner that he had picked on the way. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand Ranma turned around and glanced at the destruction and lost hope, "Now we'll never get off th' island." 

Shaking his head to rid himself of such gloomy thoughts, Ranma hoped that the pilot had radioed their last known location to the nearest air traffic control station. It may take some time for rescue ta come, I hope it comes soon thoughI know what Pop and Mr. Tendo would be doin now, planning a weddin' for when we get back is what their doin'. Man, I better get back to `Kane and build a shelter for th' night. It kinda looks like it might rain, he thought as he dashed back towards the beach.  
  
*********************************************************

As Ranma emerged from the lush tropical forest and stepped onto the sandy beach he could see that the sun had begun to set. He must have been gone for hours without even noticing it. "Man, Akane's gonna kill me for leavin' her alone for such a long time. Good thing I brought her some dinner," he said as he tossed a banana up into the air and caught it as it fell. 

Squinting in the fading light, Ranma spotted a dark shape leaning up against a downed tree. Smiling as he recognized what it was, Ranma picked up his pace to give Akane the news about the plane. Just as he rounded the end of the tree and took a deep breath to call her name, he noticed that her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and steady. Peering closer, he saw the slight curve to her eyelashes, her lips parting ever so gently with each exhalation. Gulping, Ranma quickly snapped his attention elsewhere while denying that he thought she looked very cute like that. "Oh kami, good thing she's asleep, cause if she saw me lookin' at her like that she'd likely pound me," he said as he glanced around the beach for anything that could be used as a wind break. "It'll give me enough time to get a fire going an maybe catch some fish for dinner before she wakes up and starts ta bug me with questions." With those thoughts in mind, Ranma set to work on making a decent camp before nightfall.

***********************************************************

As Akane slowly returned to the world from her deep slumber, she could smell the most delicious scent wafting through the air to tickle her nostrils, it made her stomach growl in anticipation. She could hear the crackling sounds of a fire going not too far from where she lay. Suddenly, a cracking noise echoed into the night air causing Akane to sit up straighter, Akane looked around for the source of the noise. 

What Akane saw as she glanced around was that Ranma had apparently built a fire, caught some fish for dinner and it was obvious that he was the cause of the cracking sound. She watched through slitted eyes feigning sleep as Ranma, his shirt off, ran though a kata while using a tree as a sparring partner. Each time he hit the tree a coconut would fall to the ground to smack against the shells of the previous ones that had already fallen some time ago. As her attention wandered down the path of what could happen in the near future, she was snapped back to reality by the smell of their burning dinner. Gasping, she quickly tried to stand up and run over to the fire pit to remove it, but had forgotten about her leg. "Aaaaahhhhhh!" she yelled as she fell back against the tree. 

"Akane? Are you ok? Ya know you shouldn't have tried ta get up with that leg of yours," he commented as he squatted down next to her and eyed her facial expression. He wasn't sure if she would except help from him since most of the time when he tried to help she would take it the wrong way and he'd get pounded for it.

"I'm ok, Ranma. I just forgot about my leg while I was trying to save dinner from burning but...," Akane said as she tried to explain what had happened but only got so far before he quickly jumped up and dashed over towards the fire to rescue their dinner. "Shimatta!" he yelled, as he brought the fish close enough to Akane to see that it was mostly burnt but still edible if you liked charcoal. Sighing, Ranma eyed what was left of his hard-earned catch and grimaced. "I forgot about th' fish. Damn it! One of these days I'll learn not ta forget about certain things while I'm practicin'," he muttered as he sat down next to Akane with a muffled thump.

Akane noticed his expression and started to giggle. With each gasping breath she tried to cheer him up but every time she looked at the remains of their dinner she started to laugh harder. Finally she got enough control of herself to comment. "II thought I was the one who's the bad cook Ranma, but it looks like you win with this one," then she lost control of herself once again and fell over laughing when she noticed Ranma making a funny face.

"Har har, very funny 'Kane. Next time you cook an' we'll see who gets th' last laugh," he replied as he reached over his shoulder and grabbed a couple pieces of fruit that he had left there just in case Akane was hungry before he got back from fishing.

"Ranma," she growled menacingly as she stopped laughing and glared at him for his comment on her cooking. Akane knew that she wasn't the best cook in the world. Sure, she knew that anything she cooked could down an elephant with a single bite, but that didn't stop her from trying. She wanted to be able to cook a good meal without the risk of poisoning someone and sending them to the hospital. Although, she remembered that one time when she got her revenge on one of Ranma's other fiancées by actually cooking something that looked, smelled and even tasted normal. But for all intent and purposes it wasn't normal when Akane cooked it. "He he. They didn't know what hit them until after they had eaten it," she muttered to herself as she grinned at the distant memory.

"What's so funny Akane?"

Oh, I was just remembering something that made me laugh. I don't think it would be something you would be interested in though," she replied.

Fine, don't tell menot that I care, he muttered as he put down the remains of dinner and grabbed a couple pieces of fruit. he said as he handed her a piece. Thought you'd be hungry.

Akane accepted the fruit from him with a strange expression on her face. He always confused her like this. One minute he'd was mean to her, and the next he could be surprisingly sweet and gentle. Ducking her head down, she shyly thanked him, Thanks RanmaI was getting hungry. Now, can you tell me what you found when you went searching for the plane?

Ranma sighed. Then he gathered his thoughts before he asked, Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

The good news please, Akane replied, returning her gaze back to his face to try to read his facial expression.

Ok, here goes nothin', he muttered. Then in a louder voice so that she could hear him. Well, I found a great place ta set up a hut ta live in ta get out of th' weather. An' I came across some hot springs an' there's a waterfall with fresh water. Oh yeah, I also found a grove of fruit trees `bout two miles back, he said pointing over his shoulder in the direction he remembered. I also took a look at that huge volcano an' it doesn't look like it's active right now. But just th' same, I think we should be careful, ok? he said, glancing at her, seeing her nod, he continued to try to get to the bad news in a tactful way. But as we all know, tact is not one of Ranma's strong points.

I found th' chopper a little further out. It was engulfed in flames and th' pilot is dead, had to bury him, he muttered with a grimace on his face. Then when he didn't hear any comments forthcoming from Akane he continued with his detailed explanation all the while not looking at her except for the occasional glance. Never want ta see somethin' like that again. Ugh! And I thought a dead demon was gross. Anyway, I lost my lunch when I saw th' pilot impaled on a jutting rock Ranma would have continued except for the retching noises coming from his side. 

After it looked like Akane had finished loosing her dinner she turned to him and yelled, Ranma! That's gross! And while I'm trying to eat my dinner no less! Baka!

he said as he rubbed the back of his head. Heh...heh. I thought ya could handle it, what with you bein' a tomboy an' all. But no, you went all girly on me and lost your dinner. 

Akane being Akane took that comment the wrong way and started to search for anything she could throw at him. Since I can't walk, I might as well hit him with something! she angrily thought to herself as her eyes scanned the sandy beach only to stop when she saw the discarded banana peal. Picking it up, she hauled her arm back and let fly when Ranma's attention turned elsewhere. 

Akane watched in fascination as the peal flew straight towards the back of Ranma's head. At the last second before impact, Ranma turned to face her again and got a face full of banana peal. To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. His eyes widened to the size of oranges, as he crossed his eyes to see what had just hit him. 

Raising his hand, Ranma wiped the offending object from his face and saw the leftover part of Akane's dinner. He was very surprised that Akane hadn't hit him with her mallet. Although his face did sting a bit, he was glad that it wasn't the mallet that she had hit him with. Man, she really must be scared, he thought to himself as he eyed her expression turn from angry to full out amusement. 

Wha'd ya do that for ya uncute tomboy? he asked her in a knee jerk reaction. Then, realizing what he had just said, he scooted back a few feet as he saw that her face began to darken to a bright red color. It was a color that he recognized as one of her calm moments before the storm. I'd better watch what I say next or I might bring on hurricane `Kane, he muttered quietly, too quietly for Akane to hear him. Now, A...Akane, that didn't come out right. I meant to ask you why ya hit me? he said.

Akane breathed deeply for a few minutes, clenching and unclenching her fists before she felt calm enough to speak. You just insulted me again! she screamed at him as the days events finally caught up to her. Hearing about the pilot's death and both of them being trapped on the same island together sounded like a plot that their parents would have thought up. Akane knew that it wasn't their parents this time that had brought about the present events. All she wanted to do at this moment is down a few painkillers for her leg and find a nice warm place to sleep out of the chilly breeze coming off of the ocean. Akane began to cry quietly, turning her back to Ranma so that he wouldn't see.

Ranma noticed and silently cursed under his breath as he made his way over to her side and hesitantly reached out his hand while he tried to apologize. "I...I'm sorry Akane. I just didn't think about what I was going ta say," he said, slightly worried when she refused to face him. When he placed his hand on her shoulder she flinched but relaxed a few seconds after. 

"I'm tired, my leg hurts and I'm cold, Ranma...and on top of that...we're stranded on a deserted island. We're all alone with no shelter and we can only hope that the pilot radioed our last known location before he crashed," Akane whispered shakily as she scooted backwards to lean against him.

Ranma was surprised but he knew that she was feeling the effects of the past few days and needed comfort. He was surprised that he needed to feel her against him too. "Don't worry Akane, I've found th' perfect spot ta start building a place ta live. We'll be ok...now let me look at your leg," he said as he released his hold on her and scooted around to examine it. After a thorough examination, Ranma said, "Ya should stay off of your feet for a couple of weeks. Th' last time this happened ta me, it was about six weeks. I'll keep track of it by scoring a tree. Now, let's get some sleep an' I'll show ya the place I found."

"Oh," Akane said as she felt herself being lifted and carried over towards a lean to that she hadn't noticed. After he lowered her onto the leafy floor, Ranma set about lighting another fire in the pit closest to their make shift shelter. When he finished he crawled behind her and Akane felt herself being pulled firmly against his chest. "Ranma...what are you doing?" she asked apprehensively.

"Ah, I figured you'd be cold so I'm taking the outside and you'll be closer ta th' fire. Good night Akane," he said before he closed his eyes and dropped off to sleep.

"Oh, gee thanks. Goodnight Ranma," Akane said just before she too fell asleep.

*****************************************************************


	3. A Pilot?

Chapter 3  
Nerima

As the late afternoon sun set in the sky, a knock was heard on the front door. Kasumi finished dusting the last table in the house and hurried to answer it. "Hello how may I help you?" she asked before she had opened the door fully. When she had the door open she saw a police officer standing there with his hat in his hands and a sad expression on his face. 

"Excuse me, but is this the Tendo residence?" the police officer asked her.

"Why, yes it is," Kasumi replied stepping back from the door she motioned for the officer to come into the house.

When the officer entered, he saw a younger girl sitting in front of the TV and two older men playing Go in front of the shoji doors. Clearing his throat to get their attention he took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you but, I've come to tell you that early last night, the helicopter carrying Tendo Akane and a Saotome Ranma crashed about five thousand miles from Tahiti. We are currently trying to locate the craft, and so far we have had no success. Due to the location of the last radio transmission, we assume that it crashed in the middle of the ocean. I'm sorry." 

Oh my! Kasumi said as her hand covered her mouth and tears started to form in her eyes.

Oh, Akanewhat have you gotten yourself into now? Nabiki murmured to herself. I'm sure they will find them daddy, Nabiki said out loud, trying to forestall the flood of tears. Unfortunately it didn't work.

MY BABY! WAAAA! Soun wailed and started flooding the room with his tears.

Genma sat, stunned by this information. Swallowing he turned to face the officer, Are you sure that you can find them? he asked trying to hold back his fear that he had lost his only son.

There is a slight possibility that they were able to jump before the chopper crashed. We are searching now Mr. Saotome. We have every reason to believe that we will find them. But, if we can't find them within a few more days, then we will have to assume that they are lost at sea, the officer said before giving them a sad smile. If you wish to be kept informed of the operation, he said as he reached into his front pocket and pulled out a card. Here is a phone number that will connect you with the head of the search and rescue department of that area.

Nabiki took the card and stuffed it into her shorts' pocket before walking out of the room. Kasumi watched her leave. She knew that Nabiki didn't like to show her emotions to anyone, so she had left the room to cry alone. Kasumi whispered, You were always very close to our little sister. Then turning, Kasumi walked into the kitchen, grabbed some tranquilizer pills that Dr. Tofu had prescribed for her father, and put them in the tea. She waited for a few minutes for the casings to dissolve before walking back into the room. 

  
Kneeling down, Kasumi placed the cup into her fathers' hands. Here you go father. This will make you feel better, she said as she helped him to sip the tea. 

thank yyou KKasumi. Bbut II ddon't think that aanything wwill make mme feel better. Waaaaaaa! Soun stuttered before he started to cry again.

Oh, Father, Kasumi sighed. It'll be all right, you'll see. They will find Akane and Ranma and everything will be just like it was. Maybe this will have the effect of bringing them closer together, she said while rubbing Soun's back soothingly. Glancing towards Genma from the corner of her eye, she noticed that even though his face showed no emotion. His eyes spoke volumes; the pain and grief were quite visible.

Oh, what will I tell No-chan Genma whispered to himself as he stared out over the koi pond. Standing, Genma shuffled out of the room to call his wife and to tell her the bad news. He hoped that she wouldn't kill him for loosing their son.

******************************************************************

  
Noduka was at that moment sitting in front of the family shrine praying as she had been for the past two days. Please Kami, help my son realize how much he loves Akane. Help him to admit it to himself and help him when he tries to tell her. I know that all of the lesser gods are probably being entertained by what goes on here in Nerima, what with my son having so many fiancées and all. All I ask, is for you to guide him to the right conclusion. Bowing her head, Noduka clapped her hands twice before she stood. Then she made her way into the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess from dinner. As she was about to enter the kitchen, the phone rang.

*Rrrring*

she answered, listening to the caller, only to hear her husbands voice on the line.

No-chan, I have some news It's about Ranma and Akane, Genma said quietly as he tried not to breakdown. 

Really? Have they decided to get married then? she asked with hopefully, her voice raising on the last syllable. 

Genma closed his eyes as he bracing himself before he continued, No, I'm afraid that it's bad news.

Noduka said feeling her spirits sink when she heard this. Has there been an accident then? Are they in the hospital?

I'm sorry No-chan, but Ranma and Akane's helicopter went down over the ocean while in route to Tahiti. They are searching for them now. We hope that they survived the crash and made it to land somewhere, Genma said. 

Oh, Kami no Noduka whispered, while putting her hand over her mouth. She slowly sank to her knees, her face white as a sheet, she never noticed when she dropped the phone, because for the first time in her life, Noduka Saotome fainted.

**************************************************************

Genma's voice echoed over the phone lines only to be met with silence. No-chan? Are you still there? Hello? Moshimoshi? NODUKA! he yelled as he finally realized that something was wrong. Genma slammed the phone down on its receiver and raced out of the Tendo doujou towards his home, hoping against hope that his wife was all right. 

When he got there he saw her lying on the floor, unconscious. He quickly rushed over to her side and ran his fingers over her face. Noting how cold she was, Genma picked her up and placed her on the couch, covering her with a blanket. Gently he grabbed one of her cold hands and started to pat it gently, trying to bring her back to consciousness. 

.I had the weirdest dream Noduka muttered, raising her hand to rub at her eyes. It was a few minutes before she noticed Genma. Dear, what are you doing here?

No-chan, you remember our conversation over the phone about Ranma and Akane's plane going down? he asked her as he helped her to sit up.

You mean it wasn't a dream? Noduka whispered as she realized that it was real. Oh Kamimy son, my baby! Noduka whimpered as tears traced their way down her cheeks to land on their linked hands. Genma surprisingly was not bothered by her show of emotion and pulled her into a hug to comfort her. He stayed with her for the rest of the night and the next five weeks, waiting for any word on their son. Unfortunately, when the news came it wasn't good.

****************************************  


*Rrrring*

Nabiki answered the phone. Kasumi was out shopping at the moment, so that left just her and their father. Soun was currently cleaning out the doujou between fits of crying and drinking. Kasumi had suggested that he keep busy instead of worrying himself sick. They were surprised when he actually took the advice to heart and from that moment on for the next five weeks, he worked himself to the point of exhaustion. When night came, he was asleep before his head hit the pillows.

Hello? Tendo-san? a voice asked her.

Yes. This is the Tendo residence. My name is Nabiki Tendo, how may I help you? she said as she played with the phone cord.

This is the search and rescue team leader, Habishi, Kyota. I'm calling to report on your sister and her fiancé, he said.

Nabiki's hopes began to rise but she restrained herself and asked, Have you found them yet?

Kyota Hibishi sighed before he continued. I'm sorry to report this Tendo-san, but we haven't found any trace of your sister or Ranma. We don't think that we ever will. It's being officially reported as a drowning at sea. I'm sorry.

N-no, I'm sorry that you couldn't find them. Thank you for your help sir, Nabiki whispered as she hung up the phone. Picking up the receiver again she phoned the Saotome's house and left a message on their machine. Turning, Nabiki cried silently as she walked back into the living room to wait for her sister and her father to come back. 

  
*****************************

  
The Tendo's and Saotome families scheduled the funerals to be held the next day. Most of Ranma and Akane's friends attended except for the lost boy due to the fact that they had been unable to locate him. Everyone had been shocked by the turn of events from the last month. They had never expected to loose two of their friends so quickly and in such a tragic way. 

When the funeral was over, the Amazons came forward to convey their condolences. Shan-Pu tried to get the words out but she was having a lot of trouble. Shan-Pu too too s-sad that Airen gone. Was good friend and h-husband, will miss k-kitchen destroyer too. Shan-Pu think that kitch-Akane was nice to Shan-Pu even w-when she no have to b-be. Shan-Pu s-sorry they g-gone! she said on the verge of crying her eyes out. Mu-Tsu had to lead her away since she could no longer hold her self up. 

Ku-Lon stepped forward with a pensive expression on her face. I am sorry to hear about the deaths of two so young. It is such a tragedy to loose the young ones before they are fully-grown and you have not passed on to your creator. We will be returning to China tomorrow as there is nothing left to keep us here, she said as she turned, nodded her head and slowly made her way out of the cemetery. 

Ukyo stood off to one side and stared at the two shrines in a state of shock and disbelief. My best friends are gone and there is no way to ever get them back, she muttered to herself before slowly making her way back to her restaurant. There is no reason for me to stay now. My family's honor is satisfied and I can finally go home...but I feel so hollow inside, she mumbled dazedly while shuffling out of the cemetery. Two weeks later Ukyo closed down her shop and headed back home. The Saotome and the Tendo families returned home together after the funeral. Deep down in their hearts they knew that their children couldn't be dead because they would have felt it. 

And so they waited.

**********************************************************


	4. Where are you!

Chapter 3  
Nerima

As the late afternoon sun set in the sky, a knock was heard on the front door. Kasumi finished dusting the last table in the house and hurried to answer it. "Hello how may I help you?" she asked before she had opened the door fully. When she had the door open she saw a police officer standing there with his hat in his hands and a sad expression on his face. 

"Excuse me, but is this the Tendo residence?" the police officer asked her.

"Why, yes it is," Kasumi replied stepping back from the door she motioned for the officer to come into the house.

When the officer entered, he saw a younger girl sitting in front of the TV and two older men playing Go in front of the shoji doors. Clearing his throat to get their attention he took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you but, I've come to tell you that early last night, the helicopter carrying Tendo Akane and a Saotome Ranma crashed about five thousand miles from Tahiti. We are currently trying to locate the craft, and so far we have had no success. Due to the location of the last radio transmission, we assume that it crashed in the middle of the ocean. I'm sorry." 

Oh my! Kasumi said as her hand covered her mouth and tears started to form in her eyes.

Oh, Akanewhat have you gotten yourself into now? Nabiki murmured to herself. I'm sure they will find them daddy, Nabiki said out loud, trying to forestall the flood of tears. Unfortunately it didn't work.

MY BABY! WAAAA! Soun wailed and started flooding the room with his tears.

Genma sat, stunned by this information. Swallowing he turned to face the officer, Are you sure that you can find them? he asked trying to hold back his fear that he had lost his only son.

There is a slight possibility that they were able to jump before the chopper crashed. We are searching now Mr. Saotome. We have every reason to believe that we will find them. But, if we can't find them within a few more days, then we will have to assume that they are lost at sea, the officer said before giving them a sad smile. If you wish to be kept informed of the operation, he said as he reached into his front pocket and pulled out a card. Here is a phone number that will connect you with the head of the search and rescue department of that area.

Nabiki took the card and stuffed it into her shorts' pocket before walking out of the room. Kasumi watched her leave. She knew that Nabiki didn't like to show her emotions to anyone, so she had left the room to cry alone. Kasumi whispered, You were always very close to our little sister. Then turning, Kasumi walked into the kitchen, grabbed some tranquilizer pills that Dr. Tofu had prescribed for her father, and put them in the tea. She waited for a few minutes for the casings to dissolve before walking back into the room. 

  
Kneeling down, Kasumi placed the cup into her fathers' hands. Here you go father. This will make you feel better, she said as she helped him to sip the tea. 

thank yyou KKasumi. Bbut II ddon't think that aanything wwill make mme feel better. Waaaaaaa! Soun stuttered before he started to cry again.

Oh, Father, Kasumi sighed. It'll be all right, you'll see. They will find Akane and Ranma and everything will be just like it was. Maybe this will have the effect of bringing them closer together, she said while rubbing Soun's back soothingly. Glancing towards Genma from the corner of her eye, she noticed that even though his face showed no emotion. His eyes spoke volumes; the pain and grief were quite visible.

Oh, what will I tell No-chan Genma whispered to himself as he stared out over the koi pond. Standing, Genma shuffled out of the room to call his wife and to tell her the bad news. He hoped that she wouldn't kill him for loosing their son.

******************************************************************

  
Noduka was at that moment sitting in front of the family shrine praying as she had been for the past two days. Please Kami, help my son realize how much he loves Akane. Help him to admit it to himself and help him when he tries to tell her. I know that all of the lesser gods are probably being entertained by what goes on here in Nerima, what with my son having so many fiancées and all. All I ask, is for you to guide him to the right conclusion. Bowing her head, Noduka clapped her hands twice before she stood. Then she made her way into the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess from dinner. As she was about to enter the kitchen, the phone rang.

*Rrrring*

she answered, listening to the caller, only to hear her husbands voice on the line.

No-chan, I have some news It's about Ranma and Akane, Genma said quietly as he tried not to breakdown. 

Really? Have they decided to get married then? she asked with hopefully, her voice raising on the last syllable. 

Genma closed his eyes as he bracing himself before he continued, No, I'm afraid that it's bad news.

Noduka said feeling her spirits sink when she heard this. Has there been an accident then? Are they in the hospital?

I'm sorry No-chan, but Ranma and Akane's helicopter went down over the ocean while in route to Tahiti. They are searching for them now. We hope that they survived the crash and made it to land somewhere, Genma said. 

Oh, Kami no Noduka whispered, while putting her hand over her mouth. She slowly sank to her knees, her face white as a sheet, she never noticed when she dropped the phone, because for the first time in her life, Noduka Saotome fainted.

**************************************************************

Genma's voice echoed over the phone lines only to be met with silence. No-chan? Are you still there? Hello? Moshimoshi? NODUKA! he yelled as he finally realized that something was wrong. Genma slammed the phone down on its receiver and raced out of the Tendo doujou towards his home, hoping against hope that his wife was all right. 

When he got there he saw her lying on the floor, unconscious. He quickly rushed over to her side and ran his fingers over her face. Noting how cold she was, Genma picked her up and placed her on the couch, covering her with a blanket. Gently he grabbed one of her cold hands and started to pat it gently, trying to bring her back to consciousness. 

.I had the weirdest dream Noduka muttered, raising her hand to rub at her eyes. It was a few minutes before she noticed Genma. Dear, what are you doing here?

No-chan, you remember our conversation over the phone about Ranma and Akane's plane going down? he asked her as he helped her to sit up.

You mean it wasn't a dream? Noduka whispered as she realized that it was real. Oh Kamimy son, my baby! Noduka whimpered as tears traced their way down her cheeks to land on their linked hands. Genma surprisingly was not bothered by her show of emotion and pulled her into a hug to comfort her. He stayed with her for the rest of the night and the next five weeks, waiting for any word on their son. Unfortunately, when the news came it wasn't good.

****************************************  


*Rrrring*

Nabiki answered the phone. Kasumi was out shopping at the moment, so that left just her and their father. Soun was currently cleaning out the doujou between fits of crying and drinking. Kasumi had suggested that he keep busy instead of worrying himself sick. They were surprised when he actually took the advice to heart and from that moment on for the next five weeks, he worked himself to the point of exhaustion. When night came, he was asleep before his head hit the pillows.

Hello? Tendo-san? a voice asked her.

Yes. This is the Tendo residence. My name is Nabiki Tendo, how may I help you? she said as she played with the phone cord.

This is the search and rescue team leader, Habishi, Kyota. I'm calling to report on your sister and her fiancé, he said.

Nabiki's hopes began to rise but she restrained herself and asked, Have you found them yet?

Kyota Hibishi sighed before he continued. I'm sorry to report this Tendo-san, but we haven't found any trace of your sister or Ranma. We don't think that we ever will. It's being officially reported as a drowning at sea. I'm sorry.

N-no, I'm sorry that you couldn't find them. Thank you for your help sir, Nabiki whispered as she hung up the phone. Picking up the receiver again she phoned the Saotome's house and left a message on their machine. Turning, Nabiki cried silently as she walked back into the living room to wait for her sister and her father to come back. 

  
*****************************

  
The Tendo's and Saotome families scheduled the funerals to be held the next day. Most of Ranma and Akane's friends attended except for the lost boy due to the fact that they had been unable to locate him. Everyone had been shocked by the turn of events from the last month. They had never expected to loose two of their friends so quickly and in such a tragic way. 

When the funeral was over, the Amazons came forward to convey their condolences. Shan-Pu tried to get the words out but she was having a lot of trouble. Shan-Pu too too s-sad that Airen gone. Was good friend and h-husband, will miss k-kitchen destroyer too. Shan-Pu think that kitch-Akane was nice to Shan-Pu even w-when she no have to b-be. Shan-Pu s-sorry they g-gone! she said on the verge of crying her eyes out. Mu-Tsu had to lead her away since she could no longer hold her self up. 

Ku-Lon stepped forward with a pensive expression on her face. I am sorry to hear about the deaths of two so young. It is such a tragedy to loose the young ones before they are fully-grown and you have not passed on to your creator. We will be returning to China tomorrow as there is nothing left to keep us here, she said as she turned, nodded her head and slowly made her way out of the cemetery. 

Ukyo stood off to one side and stared at the two shrines in a state of shock and disbelief. My best friends are gone and there is no way to ever get them back, she muttered to herself before slowly making her way back to her restaurant. There is no reason for me to stay now. My family's honor is satisfied and I can finally go home...but I feel so hollow inside, she mumbled dazedly while shuffling out of the cemetery. Two weeks later Ukyo closed down her shop and headed back home. The Saotome and the Tendo families returned home together after the funeral. Deep down in their hearts they knew that their children couldn't be dead because they would have felt it. 

And so they waited.

**********************************************************


	5. Island life

Chapter 4

  
RANMA! Where are you! Akane yelled while hopping out of their makeshift shelter and into the bright sun, shading her eyes and scanning the beach. Just this morning she had decided that it was time to build a sturdier hut, something that would withstand a major storm and one that was much larger than the one they shared now. When Akane didn't see him anywhere around she sighed in frustration. Five weeks of not being able to do anything except maybe learn how to cook over a campfire and braid palm mats is very boring. Where is that baka anyway? I'm so tired of just sitting around, Akane mumbled to herself as she grabbed the crutch that Ranma had made for her and started towards the hot springs. Maybe a quick bath would do me a world of good, she thought as she walked into the clearing where the springs were located. Quickly, Akane striped and enter the steaming water.

that feels so good, she moaned in relief as the soothingly hot water lapped over her skin. The hot-springs weren't very deep as they only reached up to her neck when she sat down. Closing her eyes, Akane relaxed against the rim letting all the stress from the last few days melt away. When she got too hot, she pulled herself out and hopped over to the largest rock. Ranma had conveniently place it in the sun a few days ago, so they could sit on it without getting dirt back on themselves after their baths. 

As Akane laid face down on the rock, she thought of the last few weeks they had been on the island. Sure, Ranma had been nice to her but there were times that he reverted to his old ways and she just had to hit him with something. Unfortunately, since she couldn't walk or run very well due to her injury, Akane had resorted to throwing things. One memory in particular made its way through her mind, causing her to laugh softly to herself. That baka, if he had kept his mouth shut then I wouldn't have had to throw that seaweed at him. It sure was funny though when it landed on his neck and slid down his shirt. I've never seen him dance around like that beforeI mean, how was I supposed to know there was a crab inside the handful I threw? Yawning, Akane closed her eyes and enjoyed the warm sunlight on her skin. I hope Ranma doesn't decide to take a bath now or he'll be in for a big surprise was the last conscious thought she had before she drifted off to sleep.

**********************************************************

On the other side of the island, Ranma had been exploring for most of the day. So far he found a few interesting caves, a bunch of blueberry bushes, crossed paths with some wild pigs and found a run down shack that looked to be over eighty years old and wasn't holding up to its age. The sun beat down on the pig-tailed martial artist, making the temperature seem to be well over ninety degrees. As he walked he thought about the past few weeks with Akane and no one else to bother them. 

Man, it's boring with just Akane and me on this island. But on the other hand, Pop and Mr. Tendo aren't pushing at us to get married, Shan-Pu isn't glompin me, Mu-Tsu and Ryoga aren't attacking me and Ryoga can't sneak into Akane's bed, Ranma said out loud as he ducked under a low hanging tree branch. I miss Ukyo's okonomiyaki though, he said as he covered his growling stomach, then glancing at the sky, Ranma judged it to be around lunchtime. I better get back since Akane won't be able to cook anything even though she's gotten a little better at making simple things, but her larger meals could kill a whale! he muttered to himself as he started running back towards their camp. 

When he arrived at the hut, he couldn't find her anywhere, so he searched the clearing and then the beach. But she wasn't there. There's only one place she could be right now since she can't get too far, he said before taking a deep breath and yelling, AKANE! Hey Akane, it's time to eat lunch! Ranma waited for a reply but didn't hear anything; he was in a dilemma. Akane could be taking a bath or she could be in trouble. If she is taking a bath and I walk in on her, she'd mallet me for sure. On the other hand, she could be in danger or hurt than she wouldn't be able to call out for help

Making his decision and preying that she wouldn't kill him, Ranma walked towards the hot-springs. Just before he entered the clearing he called out, Akane are you decent? Ranma waited a few minutes straining his ears for any sounds just incase she didn't hear him, then he tried again. 

Akane gasped as she tried to suck in enough air to her constricted lungs to answer him. But every time she exhaled, the constriction got tighter. help m Akane gasped out on her last breath just before she blacked out. 

Ranma heard the distress in her voice and pushed into the clearing. What he saw made him frantic. Akane was lying on the rock he had put in the sun a few days ago, but what made Ranma frantic was the huge snake wrapped around her, choking the breath from her body. The snake had to be larger than fifty feet long and its body was larger than a horse's torso. 

Oh Kami, Akane! Ranma yelled as he ran into the clearing heading straight towards the snake. Just as he was about to grab it, the snake swung its huge head and knocked Ranma away. The blow hurt but it was only enough to bruise. Ranma tried a few more times to get close enough so he could pull the snake off of her, but each time he was rebuffed in the same manner as before. Ok that's it! I've had it, he muttered, gathering his ki, he extended his hands out in front of himself and yelled, MOKO Takibisha! 

The ki ball was larger than any he had ever performed before, it left his hand and headed straight for the snake's head. Exploding upon impact, tearing its head from its body sending the remains crashing to the ground with a loud WHOMP! 

Ranma rushed to Akane's side and unwrapped her from the strangle hold of the dead snake, Ranma froze when he noticed that she wasn't wearing anything. He blinked a few times, hoping that he was seeing things, then he blinked again while denying that she was naked. When he opened his eyes for the final time and stared at her body, Ranma felt a tingle that signaled a bloody nose. Taking a deep breath he pushed aside all perverted thoughts of Akane without any clothes and tried to get her to wake up. Ranma noticed that Akane wasn't breathing, so he tried to recall the procedure for CPR. Now he wished that he hadn't fallen asleep in that class so much. Grabbing her head, he tilted it to the proper position, pinched her nose and opened her mouth. Swallowing nervously as he gazed at her soft lips that seemed to be inviting him to kiss her, he thought about how cute she was and about how much he would really like to kiss her. Blinking, he shook his head and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on resuscitating her. 

As he was giving her his breath after several times of repetition he felt her start to respond. Smiling, Ranma started to draw away when he felt her arms encircle his neck and with amazing strength Akane pulled him into one of the most amazing kisses he had ever experienced in his life. 

*******************************************************

  
As Akane came to, she could feel his lips pressed firmly on hers. She decided without conscious thought, to pull him closer so she could continue this feeling of having Ranma kissing her. After all, I can do anything I want when I'm dreaming, she thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around Ranma's neck and brought him down closer while firmly pressing her lips against his in an open-mouthed kiss. Ranma, for his part was so shocked that his pigtail stood straight up. "Akaneee...," he thought. Then he moaned in pleasure as his brain shut down while his instincts took over. Ranma started kissing her back with all of the repressed emotions he had ever had about his uncute fiancée.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Akane released her hold on him. Slowly opening her eyes, she stared into the blue depths of Ranma's eyes. As she took stock of herself and her surroundings, Akane absently noted that, one, she was lying on the ground, two, she was holding Ranma closer than she would have liked and he was breathing extremely fast. He also wore a dazed expression and his eyes seemingly refused to focus. And finally, three, she had just kissed him. Oh myI just k-kissed Ranma

Akane was confused, her anger warred with her feelings about him from the last few weeks. Pushing her anger away, Akane decided that she had enjoyed it very much and wanted him to do it again. Akane licked her lips, catching Ranma's attention as he stared at her mouth, unconsciously mirroring her actions. 

"A...Akane what...why...um," Ranma stammered incoherently before he gave up completely, a blush suffusing his face as he kept glancing at her lips then towards her eyes before settling on the ground.

Grinning, Akane slowly shook her head in amazement at how embarrassed Ranma looked at the moment. "He sure does look adorable when he gets like this. I liked what we didbut it seems that Ranma isn't ready for it to happen again. I'd better act like I'm mad at him." Sighing, Akane took a deep breath before getting his attention by clearing her throat. 

Ranma glanced up again to see what she wanted. "Yeah?" he said while trying to keep his gaze above her neckline.

"In case you haven't noticed Ranma, I'm not wearing anything at the moment and I'd like my clothes...NOW!" Akane yelled, as she tried to cover anything that was giving him an eyeful.

"ACK!" Ranma yelped as he fell over backwards from the force of the wind as Akane yelled the last word. Then jumping up quickly he searched the area for her clothes. Nothing was left except her shorts; everything else looked to be fried from his ki attack. Thinking quickly, Ranma grabbed his favorite shirt, grimaced, tore the sleeve off to serve as a makeshift halter top then walked over towards Akane and handed them to her. "I'm sorry about your clothes Akane, but I must have burned them when I tried to save ya from the snake," he said as he turned his back while she got dressed. 

"That's all right, clothes aren't important compared to someone's life," Akane replied while she finished tying the sleeve across her chest. "I know you were worried about me instead of my clothes so you must have done it by accident." Akane hopped up to Ranma, placed her hand on his shoulder and turned him around with one quick tug. "Thank you my fiancé," Akane whispered, before slowly leaning closer as she tilted her head up towards his face, then she kissed him softly on the lips.

Ranma stood frozen as she leaned upwards, his thoughts ran in circles remembering the kiss from earlier. He wanted to kiss her again but he was afraid to make any moves towards her that might seem threatening. "If I do that she would just pound me flat, but that was one hell of a kiss and I liked it alot." Then he felt her hot breath against his lips again and focused his attention on her again, just in time to hear her thank him. He almost passed out when she kissed him again. "WOW!" he thought as she pulled away and a grin slowly started to form on his face.

"Ranma, we have to build a permanent home now since no one has come to the island and we aren't sure how long we'll be here," Akane said as she leaned up against his chest, taking her weight off of her leg. "Thank kami I only have one more week to go before I can walk again without the aid of crutches."

"Huh? Oh, yeah you're right about that. Lets go back to the lean too and we can get some floor plans ready before we start to build it," Ranma said as he helped Akane to walk. Blushing slightly, he noticed what Akane wore at the moment made her look very sexy. Swallowing the lump that had suddenly lodged in his throat, he decided to take a chance and wrapped his arm around her waist. Cautiously, Ranma started to slowly rub her side. "I hope she won't pound me into the ground for this," he thought, as they traveled back to camp. Akane decided to ignore her first instinct to smash him into the ground. Inside she was beaming that he would show her some affection even if it was unconsciously.


	6. Building a Home

Chapter 5

"HA!" Ranma yelled as he felled a palm tree with one swipe of his hand. Moving swiftly to the next tree, he repeated the process once more. Standing, Ranma glanced around to count the many trees he had chopped down to use as building material for their home. Finally deciding he had enough for now, Ranma whipped his brow with his forearm. "Hey Akane!" he called out loud enough to carry to the other side of the clearing.

"Yes, what is it Ranma?" she replied absently as she concentrated on weaving some palm frond mats for the floors. Over the past few weeks, Akane had improved her skills when it came to making the frond mats since she had nothing better to do with her time. Grudgingly she admitted that her first attempts had been abysmal to say the least. Pausing, she scrutinized her latest piece of work, then decided that there was nothing wrong with it and put in into the pile of finished mats that would need to be woven together later. Then, she glanced at Ranma and waited for his reply.

"Do we have anymore of that berry juice you made last night?" he asked her as he bent down to pick up the tree. Dragging the tree over to the half-finished hut, Ranma set about completing the roof. In just under ten minutes he had stripped the palm tree of its fronds, given the fronds to Akane and cut the trunk into usable sizes.

  
"I think you drank it all last night. Honestly Ranma, you finished that really fast and then you had the nerve to complain that it had a strange aftertaste. This morning you woke up with a headache and an upset stomach." Akane replied as she watched him move with an appraising eye. Every time he looked in her direction, she returned her attention back to weaving the mats.

"That's because you put something disgusting on our dinner and I had to wash that taste out of my mouth," Ranma muttered under his breath so that she couldn't hear what he said. 

"What was that Ranma? I didn't catch thatcan you repeat yourself." Akane growled menacingly while glaring at him from underneath her bangs. 

  
"Uh...nothin'," Ranma said while trying to think up a good excuse to keep himself from getting brained by any incoming projectiles. "Man, she sure has gotten good at throwing things at me since she can't chase me yet. I gotta be careful of what I say from now on cause she'll be back on her feet in six more days." he thought to himself as he finished the rest of the roof. 

  
As the daylight started to fade, Ranma stretched his shoulders, releasing the tension from a grueling day of work. He was glad that he had finally finished their home. Grudgingly, he admitted that he was glad that Akane was around to talk to even though she kept nagging him as to where to put the next section of the wall or the placement of the door, and a few other things that got on his nerves. He was glad that she cared, since she couldn't help out much with the building process except to make the walls and the floors. 

  
"Ranma look what I made, Akane called to him from across the clearing.

As Ranma looked at her creation, he tried to figure out just what it was exactly that Akane had created. "Is this a door, Akane?" he asked with a tone of disbelief in his voice. It was a little bit lopsided but for her first effort it was pretty good. "Thanks Akane...," he said as he eyed the first door. 

"I know it's not that good but I tried really hard this time not to mess up," Akane mumbled uncertainly as she watched him. "I even made another one, I think that one came out better than the first one though," Akane said as she pointed to the other door lying on the ground behind her.

  
Ranma blinked in amazement, then grinning, he started to laugh while waving his arms in the air in front on him when he saw that she was beginning to take his laughter the wrong way. "W-wait Akane...I'm not laughing at the doors ya made. Their good for your first try. I'm amazed that you're better at this sort of stuff than what ya are when were at home."

"Oh...thanks...I think. But, I'm not a tomboy Ranma. So don't say it! Just because I grew up without my mother to show me how to do girl stuff doesn't mean that I am one. I'm just more athletically inclined than most girls are. I admit that my cooking isn't very good, but I have gotten better since you've started to teach me how to cook. 

  
"Hey! I wasn't even thinkin' itso don't jump to conclusions," Ranma replied as he hefted the doors and carried them over to their house. He installed them in less than twenty minutes. Then, Ranma turned around with a mischievous grin on his face, he growled when he caught Akane's eyes and slowly started to stalk towards her. 

"Eeek!" she yelped as she noticed Ranma stalking in her direction with a funny expression on his face, and started to scoot backwards on her rear. The look in his eyes meant that he was going to throw her into one of the springs. Or it could be something else, but she couldn't figure it out and decided to not stick around to find out. 

Quickly, she got up and started hopping out of the clearing as fast as she could while laughing. "No... ha ha ha....you're not going to throw me into one of the springs this time because I'm not going to stick around to let you. Besides, you're all hot and sweaty!" Akane yelled over her shoulder as she made for the beach. She could hear him running behind her and doubled her efforts to get away.

"Akane get back here!" Ranma growled playfully, grinning he started to chase after her. He decided to let her have the upper hand for a while at least before he would catch her. Besides, this was the perfect way to end the day after hours of strenuous work. "A little bit of fun never hurt anyone...and she is cute when she laughs like that," Ranma thought to himself as he ran behind her. "I think I'll toss her into the ocean this time," he muttered as he closed the remaining distance between them and scooped her up into his arms.

"Ahhhh! Put me down Ranma....," Akane yelped and then started to laugh as he tickled her ribs while carrying her towards the surf. "Hahahaha...No!...not the water please, not again! You know I can't swimyou baka!"

  
Well, now is a good time to learn since we are surrounded by water, Ranma replied as he walked into the pounding serf. 

Akane clung tightly to Ranma as he entered the waves, instantly she felt the change as his body came into contact with the cold water. She tried once more to convince him that it wasn't a good idea for her to learn at the moment. But Ranma, what about my leg? I don't think it's a good idea to move it too much, Akane pleaded, putting on her cutest face, she stared sorrowfully into his eyes.

Ranma-chan froze when she saw Akane's face. Onna-Ranma's heart started to pound faster as she tried to deal with her new feelings for Akane. Trying to think up a good answer to get her to do this onna-Ranma blushed and replied, Um, Akane you have to strengthen your muscles and this is a good way for you to do it without injuring yourself further. Besides, I'll be here holding you up so you won't drown. 

"FineI'll do it but you have to promise not to let go of me, Akane said as she felt a deep yearning within herself to have onna-Ranma touch her. Pushing that thought and her feelings aside into a deep corner of her mind to be looked over later, she decided to make sure he didn't bring them forward again, at least for now. And keep your hands on my waistif you move them anywhere else your gonna be a dead man womanerr you know what I mean, Akane stammered while blushing furiously.

Hehe, yeah I know what ya meant Akane and I don't take no offence at it, Ranma replied, noticing the blush that was quickly spreading from Akane's cheeks and down her neck. Onna-Ranma smiled, as she lowered Akane into the water while keeping her hands from straying to a few places that she had wanted to touch, but knew that if she had followed her instincts, she would be flying on air Akane right now. 

  
Eeeee! It's c-cold!p-pick me up! Pick me up! Akane pleaded through her chattering teeth as she desperately tried to twist her body around to latch onto Ranma.

That's cause you've been sitting in the sun all day so your temperature is much warmer than usual. Don't worry Akane you'll get used to it the longer you stay in, Ranma said as she kept Akane submerged up to her neck. Ranma had to admit that this was a lot of fun even though Akane kept trying to drown her as she tried to climb her body to get out of the water.

Akane sputtered through chattering teeth as she tried to think up an expletive that would fit the situation. Not coming up with anything, she fell back on her preschool days cursing. Akane mumbled, clenching her teeth to stop them from chattering. After awhile she got used to the water temperature and started exercising her leg while Ranma instructed her on the art of swimming at the same time.

Is that the best insult you can think up right now Akane? Ranma asked her as she held Akane up with one hand and wiping the excess water out of her eyes from when Akane splashed a little too hard.

Hey! I'm trying you knowI mean after a few weeks of trying to think up new ones every day, I can't think of anything new at the moment. Besides, I know it was a lot of fun to make a game out of it, but I think we should have one last round to see who the winner is, Akane said as she stopped kicking her legs.

Hmmm, what will the winner get for a prize and what will the looser have to do? Ranma asked while he thought of a way to get Akane to kiss him again. Maybe if I don't insult her and compliment her instead he thought.

  
Akane thought for a few moments before she replied, "The looser will have to serve the winner for a week. And the winner will get to name the prize after the contest is over."

Ranma thought about it for a few moments before she nodded her head. You've got a deal, Ranma replied, turning around, he exited the water with Akane in her arms and headed back towards their new home.

  
Hey! I can walk you know! Akane protested half heartily. 

Ranma eyed her out of the corner of his eye as he carried her back towards their new home. Feh. If I let ya walk as you said, it would take you a long time to get home. 

Ranma! Put me down! Akane protested yet again. But, this time she kept her arms wrapped around his neck to support herself.

Ranma shook his head negatively and replied, No. I'm not gonna let you become food for another strange animal on this island. We really haven't explored the whole of it yet and it could be too dangerous.

Akane glared at him, she noticed the way he held himself and realized that he wasn't going to give in. She huffed in annoyance and said, Fine! But, I get to cook dinner again.

Ranma just groaned as if he was anticipating a lot of pain, but he kept walking. He knew that they needed to get back to the house before nightfall. One of the reasons he knew this was that on one of his foraging trips he had spotted some strange tracks of an animal that he hoped really didn't exist on this island. But, judging from what Akane had told him a few days ago; it was very likely that some type of cat creature inhibited this place. 

Stepping inside their new home, Ranma lowered Akane, letting her slide down his body as he did so. He was unaware of what it did to her at the moment because his attention was focused elsewhere. Once she had her feet under her, he gathered the needed supplies and proceeded to make their beds while Akane prepared a simple meal. Thank Kami, there are no toxic chemicals on this island or Akane would probably kill me with her cooking, he thought as he finished.

Akane glanced up from dishing out a simple meal of fruits and fish. Ranma, come and eat, she yelled.

Yeah, be right there, Akane, he replied before climbing down the ladder and onto the bottom floor. Once on the ground floor, he headed over towards the fire pit in the center of the room. Then, they began to eat their meal in companionable silence.

After the last morsel had been devoured, Ranma glanced up at Akane and smiled, Hey! That was great Akane! You didn't burn anything. I think you're getting better.

Akane blinked as her cheeks flushed in pleasure at his complement. Grinning sheepishly, she gazed into his eyes to see if he really meant what he had just said. 

Yes, really, Ranma replied as he smiled. 

Oh, Thank you! Akane yelled, throwing herself across the space that separated them. Akane enveloped him in a crushing hug that rivaled one of Shan-Pu's glomps before planting a heated kiss directly on his lips. Ranma froze in surprise for the second time in the past week before his instincts kicked in and he started to kiss her back. 

Oh my god! I can't believe I just did that. He probably things I'm being too forward, Akane thought in embarrassment. Suddenly, she wrenched herself away and was on the opposite side of the room, her face as scarlet as Ranma-chan's hair. she babbled incoherently while making a dash for the ladder.

  
Ranma grinned stupidly as he watched Akane climb the ladder, S-she did it again!  
  
  
*************************************************


	7. Survival

Chapter 6

That's not fair, Ranma. You cheated! Akane protested from her spot by Ranma's side. Akane was now able to get around the island under her own power without the aid or her fiancé or a crutch. Currently, Akane was lying in the sun grumbling about how he had managed to beat her yet again at their new game. It had been over a week since their bet and they were now living in their newly constructed home. At the moment, they were working not to far from their newly completed home. 

Ranma glanced over towards her while he carefully constructed a harpoon out of a few stones and other materials lying around the island. Hey! I did not! You know it's true! he retorted; Ranma glared at her before returning to the task on hand. he grumbled, You know that every time you try to do it, you can't. Girls just don't have the right balance to do it. 

You should know, you're a girl half the time! Akane retorted grumpily.

Ranma protested, he knew that Akane didn't really mean anything by that comment, it was just part of his cursed life and she was just being a sore looser. I'm finished, Akane. How's the net coming? 

I think It's ok.oh damn! Akane started to say only to cut herself off when she encountered a problem.

What happened now? Ranma asked before remembering the multiple mishaps that had occurred when he had first taught Akane how to weave. Glancing over towards her, he blinked in surprise for a few moments as the site of Akane's current predicament came into view. How did you do that, 

I have no idea. Once minute I'm working on this knot and then the next I take my attention away for just a second and BAM! I'm all tied up! she replied, complete frustration and bewilderment lacing the tone of her voice. Akane tugged frantically at her hands, trying to separate her fingers from the knots. She wasn't having much success since each tug only made the knots tighter.

Ranma tried very hard not to laugh but he couldn't hold it back any longer, .h-here let m-me get that for ya. Reaching over, Ranma untangled her fingers from the knots. 

Akane replied, licking suddenly dry lips. She watched as he leaned forward, his muscles rippling in the dappled shade with each movement. As he worked, his fingertips brushed over Akane's skin, sending little tingles of electricity up her arms.

Aww. It's nothin, Akane. Besides, Ranma grunted as he worked on a particularly stubborn knot. If ya stay stuck like this, ya'll never finish the fishing net and we'll be out of a good way to catch some fish, he finished saying before leaning back, a mischievous grin to his lips. Ranma watched for Akane's reaction to what he had just said. He was still smiling when Akane punched him lightly in the arm, but her muttered words warmed his heart. 

she mumbled afectionately, ignoring the tingling sensation as she withdrew her fist. Akane knew that Ranma had a tendency to say things before he even knew what he was saying. Sure, they had gotten into some serious fights over the last two months, and all of them had ended with them not speaking to the other for over a week. It got really lonely with no one to talk to. Akane admitted that she had the same problem of letting her mouth run off before thinking. It must be due to our martial arts training of react first and think later, Akane thought, glancing towards Ranma.

Ranma said, trying to get her attention for the fifth time. Akane blinked for a few moments before focusing her attention back towards Ranma. 

Huh? What was that you were saying, Ranma? Akane asked as a blush colored her cheeks.

I was saying that we should go and catch some lunch. We're not making these things for nothin, Ranma replied as he indicated the fishing net and the harpoon.

Are you sure it's such a good idea for me to be so close to the water? What if I fall in?

Don't worry, Akane. You have gotten better. I mean, you finally learned to dog paddle the other day. He watched as Akane nodded her head and thought to himself, "Geez, I can't believe it took almost three months for her to learn how to do that!" before he continued. Ranma picked something up off of the ground, Ya see this rope that's attached to the end of the net?

Akane answered hesitantly as she eyed the rope Ranma was holding.

Well, you'll be on the beach and all ya have to do is throw the net but keep the rope under your foot. Let the net sink, then give a good tug on the rope and pull it in." As Ranma explained, he gave a demonstration for Akane's benifit. "When ya pull on the rope it should close the opening on the net and trap the fish inside, he finished, grinning at his own ingenuity. 

Akane blinked in amazement before she reached up and felt his forehead. Are you ok? Your not sick are you, Ranma? Akane said teasingly. 

Hey! I saw fishermen doin this on a nature channel one time. I thought it would be a good idea to try, Ranma growled and pushed her hand away from his brow. Geez! And I try to help

Akane started to giggle hysterically as she noticed Ranma making a funny face, Come on, Ranma. I was only joking!

Ranma turned towards Akane and grinned, Heh. I know Akane. Now lets get going.   
  
Both, Ranma and Akane made their way towards the beach, each thinking about their time on the island. During that time, Ranma had unsuccessfully tried to make a raft to get off the island but it had ended in disaster when the raft had been pushed onto the reef. Ranma had barely managed to escape with his life intact and since then they hadn't tried that again. Since they had decided to wait for rescue and build a place to stay after that failure. Akane had spent the past few months making palm frond mats, while Ranma had devoted most of his time building their home, hunting for food and fruits and teaching Akane how to recognize certain plants that were used for medical purposes. As they walked into the open, Akane shaded her eyes from the bright glare as she stared out at the open water. 

Ranma answered, his eyes focused toward a distant spot on the horizon. 

Akane bit her lower lip as she thought of how to broach the subject with him. Gulping down her pride, she forged on ahead and asked, D-do you think that you couldthat is if you don't mind.train me? 

"Train you to do what, Akane?" he asked as he turned towards her. "I have been training you on the use of plants and how to survive out here. You gotta be more specific."

"I meant in Martial arts you baka," Akane growled, exasperated. Glancing towards his face, Akane watched the play of emotion make their way over his features. Ranma opened his mouth to reply but Akane forged on ahead, certain that he was about to refuse her. "I mean, if you train me to be as good as you, than you'll have someone to spar with every morning. And you won't get rusty while where here. 

Ranma was silent for a few moments as he thought about what she had just said. While it was true that he needed someone to spar with, he was afraid that he might hurt Akane if he did train her. "Akane," Ranma said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" 

"Can I think about it for a while?" Ranma asked while rubbing the back of his neck.

Akane frowned at his request, she thought that he would answer her immediately but it apparently she was wrong, "But..."

"Hey, now I ain't saying no. But, I ain't saying yes...either," Ranma interrupted her before she could protest. "You gotta realize Akane, that I'm much stronger than you and I'm worried that I'll accidentally hurt you," he said, voicing his concerns to her. Turning, Ranma faced Akane and sighed, " I really don't want to do that but you're right about me getting rusty if I don't practice."

Akane recognized the concern behind his words but she really wanted him to train her. Sighing, she smiled slightly dejectedly and replied, "Sure, I understand Ranma. I'm not a piece of china, I won't break if you hit me."

"That's not it, Akane," Ranma growled before marching over towards a near by tree. "This," he raised his hand and punched the tree, "is what happens when I'm not using my full strength." The tree shuddered then fell as his fist connected. Turning, Ranma glanced towards Akane to see a questioning look in her eyes. He answered her before she could voice it, "It comes from all those fights with Ryoga. He's built like a Sherman tank, ya know."

Akane giggled at his remark and decided to give in for now, "Ok, I'll give you time. But, make sure you let me know when you've decided." 

"Thanks, Akane!" Ranma smiled before he made a dash towards the water. "Come on Akane, or the fish will swim away!"

"Hey!" Akane yelled as she dashed after him. "Ranma, wait for me!" 

***************************************************************

  
"Akane! How ya doin?" Ranma-chan yelled from her perch atop a rock that was situated thirty feet out from shore.

Akane glanced up from hauling in the net. Smiling she cupped her hands over her mouth and called, "I'm doing great Ranma! I think we have enough fish for lunch!" A sudden gust of wind pushed a big piece of hair into her eyes and Akane reached up a hand to brush them away. "Could you see if you can catch some lobster if at all possible?"

Ranma-chan waived to acknowledged the request. Then, she dove into the water. The first few tries were met with failure and Ranma had to surface for another breath of air before she dove once more. She spotted movement from the corner of her eye and swam over to investigate. "All right! Wait till Akane sees these!" Ranma thought as she stealthily swam up behind the biggest lobsters that she'd ever seen. Grabbing them on the carapace was the only way to catch them with out getting pinched by those massive claws. Turning, Ranma made for the surface but she hadn't gone very far when a shadow swam overhead. 

Pausing, Ranma-chan glanced up and spotted the biggest Great White shark that she'd ever seen. "Oh Shit!" she thought while carefully watching to see what it was going to do. Ranma knew that she couldn't hold her breath any longer but she also couldn't make herself a target for the shark. The only way for her to get out of the reach of the shark was to swim right under it and towards the rock she had dove off of. "Oh, this is just great," Ranma thought sarcastically before making a swift dash through the water and towards safety. The shadow of the Great White swerved and started heading in Ranma's direction. Glancing upwards, Ranma noticed this and started swimming faster, her air supply was running dangerously low and she didn't think that she could hold it any longer. Delving into her ki reserves, Ranma-chan sped through the water, she could sense the shark closing in on her and pushed all the more to get to the rocks. Aiming her body upwards, she pushed and then shot directly out of the water and onto the safety of the rocks. Gasping for breath, Ranma glanced over her shoulder to see the shark slam into the rocks. Suddenly, her legs collapsed out from under her and she had to sit down to rest. "That's the last time I do something like that!" she panted as she stood shakily. 

"Ranma! Are you all right! I saw a sharks fin!" Akane yelled worriedly from her spot close to the water's edge. She was pacing back and forth, alternately biting her fingernails and balling her hands into fists. Akane had spotted the fin just seconds after he had dove into the water and was terrified. She had tried screaming his name to no avail and because he was underwater at the time, he didn't hear her.

Ranma was too winded to reply so he balled his fist and held it up in the air to signal that he was fine. After a while, when he was properly rested, Ranma-chan jumped from rock to rock to get back to the beach. There was no way he was going back into the water with a shark swimming around! When she reached the shore she hadn't taken a single step before she was tackled by one hundred and fifty pounds of an extremely worried, Akane. 

  
Akane straddled Ranma while frantically running her hands over her body, checking for any bite marks or serious injuries. Ranma was so stunned by the loss of air that it took her a few moments to protest, Hey! I'm fine! Ranma sucked in a shocked breath when Akane's hand brushed her breast, Ack! Watch where you're putting your hands, Akane!

Akane blinked before she noticed what she was doing and where her hand was. she yelped while blushing the same shade as Ranma-chan's hair. Quickly, she climbed off of Ranma and sat next to her. 

Ranma-chan levered herself up to rest on her elbows, eyebrows raised inquiringly, Not that I don't mind ya doin that Kane, but were both girls right now.

Akane flushed dark purple and gaped in shock. Ranma could see she was really embarrassed so she decided to go easy on her. It's ok, Akane. I know you were just worried about me. I was just teasin ya, she grinned while watching for what Akane's next reaction would be. What Ranma wasn't expecting was for Akane to start crying.

  
Akane was relieved at having Ranma back, healthy and in one piece that she couldn't contain herself any longer and started to sob, Oh, R-ranmawas so scared! I-I don't know what I'd do if you had g-gotten h-hurt!

Ranma was stunned at her reaction to the near miss with the shark, but she figured that since they were the only two people on the island, Akane would be all alone and unable to protect herself if he had gotten killed. Ranma sat up quickly, enveloped Akane in a hug and started whispering soothing words in her fiancée's ear, I'm fine Akane, I'll be more careful next time. That mean shark didn't lay a tooth on me, really! All the while she was rubbing her back in a circular motion to try and calm her down. It seemed to work for a while, and after five minutes of continuous crying, Akane finally stopped.

Sniffling, Akane raised her head to stare Ranma directly in the eyes and screamed, You better not do that again, you jerk! Then, she punched him, hard, If you ever scare me like that again....I'll kill you myself!

Ranma yelped while grinning stupidly. This, was the strong tomboy that he was used to and not that wishy-washy crybaby that had suddenly appeared in her place. Sure, he knew they had a funny way of showing how much they cared for each other but he knew he didn't want it any other way. Unconsciously reaching out a hand, Ranma gently caressed Akane's cheek, whipping away the residual tear tracks and said, Come on, Akane. Lets get going and make some lunch. We'll have to think about making some type of safe place for me to actually dive into the water without becoming shark bait.

Akane's breath caught in her throat when Ranma did that, she was afraid to move or he'd stop what he was doing. Akane thought of how she had treated Ranma in the past and realized that she didn't like what she had done. At school she was pressured to call him a pervert because of his curse. Now, since they had been living on this island by themselves, she was forced to realize that Ranma was the same person inside even if he sometimes wore a different body. Rising to her feet, Akane nodded as a light blush colored her cheeks, grabbing their catch, she followed Ranma back towards their new home.

**************************************************

  
The next morning in the hours before dawn, Ranma suddenly awoke to a craving that couln't be denighed any longer. He was tired of fish day in and day out. "Looks like its time to go hunting! But, I don't think I can do it by myself," he muttered, crawing out of bed and towards Akane's section in the loft. He hoped that Akane wouldn't kill him for waking her up this early. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he shook her gently. Nothing happened except Akane snorted cutely before rolling over in her sleep to settle on her other side.

"Geez! And she says that I sleep like a rock...then, what the hell does she sleep like, huh?....a boulder?" Ranma thought as he reached out once more and shook her violently, "Akane! Get up!"

Akane moaned, then mumbled something that Ranma had trouble deciphering, "Mmmmwnslp...rrrrnnnbbbkkkaaaa."

"What?" he said as he shook her once more, this time with better results. Akane's eyes snapped open as she growled her displeasure at being woken up at such an early hour, "What....do...you...want, Ranma!"

"Oops, guess Akane didn't get enough sleep last night....hehe," Ranma though grinning to himself as he carefully watched for any sudden aggressive movements. Ranma knew from experience that a cranky Akane was a dangerous Akane, prone to sudden violent fits of anger. "Ummm..."

"Well?" Akane glared at him as she waited for his answer.

Ranma decided to broach the subject of hunting very carefully, "Ah, Akane?"

"What," she barked out tiredly. Akane wished that he would just get to the point already. She wanted to go back to sleep since she had spent most of the night reliving Ranma's near miss with the shark the other day.

"Well, are you sorta tired of fish and fruit everyday?" 

Akane sat up suddenly, gaping at him in disbelief. "That was the reason he just woke me up from the most beautiful dream I've ever had," Akane thought to angrily to herself. "This," Akane paused, took a deep calming breath before continuing, "You woke me up...to ask me If I WAS TIRED OF FISH!!!" Unfortunately that calming breath didn't work very well, she clenched her fist, ready to clobber him at any given second.

Ranma winced, "Ok, so maybe that didn't come out right....better think of somethin quick or she'll kill me before I can explain." Taking a deep breath, he held up his hands into the classic warding off pain gesture while he forged on with his explanation. "Now Akane, wait! I spotted some tracks in the forest the other day and I think we can get some fresh meat. But, I can't go hunting by myself....I....I need your help."

Akane blinked as his words sank in, she couldn't believe that he wanted her to help. Just the thought of killing something made her a little bit squeamish. "What are we going hunting for?"

"Wild boar."

"We're going to kill a pig!"

"Um....well, yeah."

"Are you crazy! Those things are dangerous!"

"Wellthat's why I need your help, stupid!" he shot back. It wasn't until after the stupid comment had left his mouth that he realized what he had just said. "Oh shit...I'm dead!" he thought, backing away slightly. 

"Grrrrr! What did you call me?"

"I'm sorry, Akane. That didn't come out right. Come on, I really need your help with this one. If we're going to eat something besides fruit and fish we gotta start hunting for our food." 

Akane saw how serious Ranma was being and sighed. She was tired of eating nothing but fish and fruit every day. "All right. I'll help...I really am sick of eating that stuff every day," she replied, throwing off her blanket before standing. "How are we going to kill it, Ranma?"

"When I scrounged around the chopper the other day...I found a collection of knives. The pilot musta been collecting them. We could make two of them into spears just for hunting and the rest we could use for other things."

Akane had climbed down the ladder while listening to Ranma. She hummed every few minutes so he knew that she was listening, before finally asking, "Ranma?"

"What?"

"Wouldn't it be able to smell us first before we even got within range?"

"Yeah," he replied before continuing, "Ya see, I've gotta plan...."

*************************************************************


	8. The Hunt!

Chapter 7

  
It was another rainy day in Nerima and the Tendo and Saotome families were diligently leafing through the mounds of paper work that came with searching for her sister and missing brother-in law. Noduka entered the room carrying a trey of miso soup, she set the bowls down while commenting sadly, Its six months since we buried them. 

The middle Tendo daughter entered the room. She was reading a map of the Tahitian area. I don't believe they're dead! That's whey we're doing this! Nabiki replied stubbornly.

I really miss them, Kasumi replied, while lugging another stack of papers into the living room. 

Don't worry, Kasumi, I think I'm hot on their trail. Those rescue people out there don't know a thing about how to find lost martial artists.maybe we should send Ryoga to find them? 

That's not funny, Nabiki, Soun replied as he glanced up from skimming through the stack of information regarding the surrounding islands in which Ranma and Akane had disappeared.

Hey! I'm only saying that if they're lost, only a lost martial artist can find them. You forget that Ryoga always manages to end up with Akane and Ranma. He might be able to stumble upon them by accidentgiven that weird sense of direction he has. Not to mention he somehow manages to cross oceans without the use of a plane or boat, Nabiki responded.

Oh, I so would like to hold my son again, Noduka interjected while scooping out some rice and placing it before her husband. "Do you think we will find them soon?"

If Nabiki thinks that they are alive then we all should have hope that we will find them, Kasumi smiled as she set the stack of papers down on the table. Turning, she made her way into the kitchen to bring out some tea and a plate of cookies for the long house to come.

"I'm not sure, Auntie. I don't think we'll be able to pinpoint their location. But, I have every intention of continuing to look until they're found," Nabiki replied before burying her nose into another pile of information. 

She has a point, Tendo. That boy always ends up with Ranma and Akane. He might be able to find them." Genma scratched his chin for a moment before continuing, Although the only problem is that he'd actually have to be on the same island as them and not manage to loose them once he turns around.

Very true, Saotome, Soun replied leafing through another pile of papers.

"Now the only problem is actually finding Ryoga," Noduka replied after wiping her mouth with a napkin.

The rest of the family blinked at her obvious reasoning before hanging their heads. They all knew that it could be days, weeks, or months before Ryoga eventually showed up. Sighing, Nabiki muttered, "That's...just...great! There's no telling when the eternally lost boy will show up!" 

Soun glanced up from what he was doing and started sniffling, "Then we'll never find...my...b-baby." He took a few shuddering breaths as he tried to control himself, but unfortunately his emotions were on a roller coaster ride since Akane and Ranma's sudden disappearance. Soun couldn't control himself anymore and began wailing, "Waaaaaaaaaaa!"

*********************************

  
The shadow crouched down close to the forest floor, not a muscle moved as it eyed the wild boar in the clearing ahead. Slowly it inched closer towards its target, careful not to make any sudden movements. Each movement measured to make the least possible sound as it advanced upon its prey. The shadow knew that its companion was even now circling the animal from the other side and would come to her aid if needed. Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the forest and the shadow instantly froze. Not a breath passed her lips as she watched the boar jerk its head up and sniff at the air. As soon as the animal deemed that it wasn't in any danger, it lowered its head and began nosing through the leaf-litter. This was the moment she had been waiting for, the shadow took this opportunity to move ever closer towards their intended dinner. 

Glancing up from the target, Akane searched through the deepest shadows for any sign of Ranma. Since they had started hunting four months ago, Akane admitted that they now worked together very well. Their first attempt at hunting had been abysmal and they had almost gotten seriously injured. In the end, they had managed to have the animal chase them and had used their brains into getting the animal to fall in one of their traps. It was a bit scary as the first time they had started hunting wild pig, now they worked like a team of hunting wolves. Suddenly, Akane spotted two flashes of white hidden deep within the shadows, she smiled as she recognized that it was the whites of his eyes before turning her attention back towards the clearing. Akane knew that at any moment, Ranma would give the signal. Tensing her muscles, she waited all of two minutes before a bird's call echoed throughout the forest. 

Now was the time to strike, Akane moved forward, spear gripped tightly in her right hand, she slowly stood and drew back her arm and then hurled the spear towards her target. The spear whistled through the air and missed the animals' heart; the boar had moved the minute it heard the whistling sound. Unfortunately for the boar, the spear hit its shoulder, wounding it severely and totally pissing it off. Akane gasped in disbelief, she had almost made a clean kill and now she would have to deal with an animal that had become really dangerous. The boar whirled, gnashing its sixteen-inch tusks as it spotted its attacker, then, charged. Akane's eyes widened in surprise as the animal headed in her direction. "Ranma! Now would be a good time!" she screamed as she quickly drew her dagger from its hip-sheath. Tensing her muscles, Akane readied herself to move, "Shit!" she cursed as the animal closed in. At the last second before its tusks reached her, Akane flipped over the animals' back and stabbed downward as it passed. The boar squealed in pain but Akane ignored this and swiftly scooped up her fallen spear. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ranma drop from his perch. 

The boar whirled at the sound and charged, Ranma grinned before he braced the butt of the spear on the ground and allowed the animal to impale itself. It thrashed violently, swinging its head to the right it missed Ranma's leg by a millimeter. "Shit!" he cursed as he moved his legs away from the tusks. "Now, Akane!" he yelled, never taking his eyes off of the thrashing animal. 

Akane was glad that Ranma had agreed to train her or she would have gotten seriously injured. Quickly closing in from behind, Akane grabbed the boar by the ears and pulled its head back. "I hate this part!" she growled as she slit its throat. This animal, Akane noted, had been particularly difficult to track. Gasping for breath Akane eyed their kill and said, "Y-you okay, Ranma?" 

"Y-yeah, man this thing was tough!" he grinned tiredly, his teeth showing white through the layers of mud that caked his body. Akane smiled in return, some of the mud that covered her face flaked off. They had been tracking the animal since early this morning and now that the hunt was done, she was exhausted. Glancing upward at the sun, Akane determined that it was around three in the afternoon. 

"Good! Now we can get back home and then take a bath, she grimaced at the feel of dried mud on her body. "This stuff is beginning to itch like crazy!"

Ranma stifled his laughter at the site of her. Akane was covered from head to toe in a few layers of mud. The only thing he could see on Akane in the darkened gloom of the forest where the whites of her eyes. Her hair, he noted, had gotten longer over the eight months that they had been here and would need a through scrubbing. He sighed ruefully and thought, "I must look as bad as she does." Bending down, Ranma hefted the boar onto his shoulder and proceeded to head back home. "Come on, Akane. The faster we get home, the faster I help you wash that mud out of your hair. Then ya can do the same for me." Ranma paused on the path and glanced back at her, scratching at his chest vigorously and replied, "Damn...your right about it itching!"

"We can take our bath after we wash our hands and clean the pig first, Ranma," Akane replied, walking right behind him.

"Feh, I know...I know, ya don't have ta remind me," Ranma chuckled. They walked for an hour before they finally reached their new home. While Ranma set about cleaning their kill, Akane ran ahead to gather the baskets that the meat would be placed in for storage. They had discovered a cave a while back that was ice cold and doubled as a ice box due to the rushing water that blocked the mouth of it. The baskets were to keep the meat safe from any bugs and to suspend their catch off of the caverns floor. Akane remembered when they had stumbled upon the cave and smiled. Before, when they had started hunting, they had only killed piglets because the meat would have spoiled in this climate if it wasn't consumed in one sitting. Now they didn't have to worry about it anymore, they could now hunt bigger game and store it away. She was glad of this because this meant they only had to hunt once every month. 

Akane quickly walked back with the baskets in hand, "Here you go, Ranma." Akane smiled as she hung them on a near by branch. Kneeling down, she helped Ranma skin the carcass. Apparently while she was gathering the baskets, Ranma had removed the pig's head and buried it. But, not before he removed the tusks, they sat on a rock not too far away and would be made into something useful later. 

Ranma grunted as they finished skinning the animal, "Thanks, Akane." He pulled out a longer knife and began cutting up the kill. Akane took the skin and began cleaning it so that they could make it into clothing. Their clothes hadn't survived for long in this climate. They had lasted for two months before the moths had made them into so much Swiss cheese. Akane glanced at Ranma's muscular legs and blushed. She admitted to herself that Ranma looked good in a loincloth. She knew that her appearance wasn't too shabby either since she had noticed Ranma glancing towards her every now and then. When he noticed that she had caught him starring, he had blushed before turning away.

As Akane finally finished cleaning the skin, she soaked it in water to clean off any residual blood and then staked it out in the sun to dry. When she glanced upward once more she noticed that Ranma had finished as well and was just coming back from putting their kill in the cave. Akane stood, whipping the sweat from her brow and smearing the mud in the process. "Come on Ranma," she called as she raced off towards the river. Glancing over her shoulder, Akane quipped, "You can't catch me!"

"Hey!" Ranma yelled as he ran after her. He was right on her heals as they jumped over downed trees and rocks that littered their path. "Akane, get back here!" he called once more. All he got in answer to his demands was her laughter as she ran faster. Finally reaching the river, he heard a splash that signaled to him that she had dove in. Ranma broke through the forest and into a clearing, taking a running jump, he dove in after her. Surfacing, Ranma-chan yelled in delight at the feeling of finally being able to clean off the layers of mud. Akane she noted was busily scrubbing away the dirt that encrusted her body. Ranma-chan swam up behind her, reached forward and began scrubbing Akane's hair free of any lingering mud. When Ranma finished, Akane returned the favor. 

Stepping back, Akane eyed her work and exclaimed, "There! All done Ranma!"

"Thanks, Akane!" Ranma turned around and impulsively hugged Akane before she realized what she was doing.

Blushing furiously, Ranma jumped away and started stuttering, "Ah, I--I'm s...s."

Akane blushed just as red as Ranma while replying, "It's alright Ranma, I don't mind." Akane climbed out of the water and stretched. The cold water had made her muscles stiffen and she wanted to have a good soak in some hot water to relax them before dinner. Turning, she grinned at Ranma-chan and replied, "Hey, I'll race you to the hot springs!

Ranma-chan groaned while rolling her eyes in exasperation. She was tired but thought that Akane had the right idea. "Besides," she thought as she pulled herself out of the river, "I want to turn back into a guy anyway." When Ranma glanced back to where she had last seen Akane, it was to see an empty riverbank. "Hey! Akane you get back here!" Ranma yelled as she took off in the direction of the hot springs.

When Ranma arrived at the hot springs, the steam in the air made seeing very difficult, but she could hear Akane's sighs of contentment. Grinning, Ranma-chan jumped in with a loud splash. Akane squealed as the wave of water hit her in the face. When Ranma surfaced, he laughed in delight before getting splashed in the face by Akane's return volley. They played water war for a good ten minutes before they were too exausted to fight anymore. Akane giggled silently, sneaking up behind Ranma, when she was close enough she tacked him. As they fell, Ranma twisted around so that they were facing each other, he grinned as he pulled her in with him.   
  
When they surfaced, Akane drew in a deep breath and smiled. Then, she realized that his arms were still around her, "I should pull away but...this feels nice," Akane thought. Slowly, she turned in his embrace. She stared at his throat, unable to raise her gaze any higher. Ranma noticed a split second later and his breathing sped up. He was desprately trying not to though Akane on the ground and ravish her. He watched the her face for any sign that she returned his feelings. 

  
"She'll kick you clear across the island for what you're thinking!" Ranma firmly strangled that voice and raised his hand to Akane's chin. With gentle fingers, he lifted her chin. Ranma watched as her eyes fluttered closed and heard her breath catch. A lone finger brushed her lips and her eyes opened. Akane felt his finger tracing her lips and part of her screamed that they shouldn't be doing this. "We can't! We should be married first!" Akane turned a deaf ear to that part of herself and sucked gently on his thumb. 

Ranma gasped at the sudden jolt of warm moist heat as Akane worked her mouth around his didget. Moaning he lowed his head and brushed his lips against her chin until she released his thumb. Then, Ranma captured her lips in a savage kiss that left no doubt in Akane's mind that he wanted her. Akane moaned in exitement and wrapped her arms around Ranma's waist, she could feel the restrained passion in Ranma's body. Tightening her arms, she pulled him closer and sliding her tongue along his lower lip, she shifted her body so she was rubbing against him.

Ranma broke the kiss as he gasped in surprise,"Akane." Akane shifted and rubbed against the hardened bulge straigning against his loincloth. "Mmmmmm," Ranma moaned as his passion escalated to new heights and pulled her tighter against himself . Slowly, lowering his head, he captured her lips again in a heated kiss. Akane responded by slipping her tounge between his lips, Ranma made a funny noise in the back of his throat and suddenly, the kiss got rougher. Ranma slowly walked her towards the edge of the spring and laid her down on the soft moist earth while never breaking their embrace. He quickly removed his loincloth, until all that remained was bare skin. Akane blushed as she watched him undress, but she couldn't look away. She had secretly liked muscular men; it was one of the reasons she fell for Ranma. Her eyes roamed greedily across his chest, arms, and abdomen as she watched his muscles ripple with hidden stregnth as he leaned closer. "Are you sure about this, Akane?"

  
Ranma watched, as Akane liked her lips and nodded wordlessly. Ranma kissed her again, Akane moaned as her nails dugg into his shoulder blades. "Akane, I'll stop if you tell me to," Ranma whispered as he moved his mouth to her ear nibbled on it gently. Akane surprised Ranma, when she brought her hands around to his front and gently cupped him in answer to his question. He moaned and instictively thrust his pelvis forward, taking pleasure as her hand gently massaged his member. He returned the favor by reaching down towards the apex of her thighs and gently parting the petels and reach the nubb of her pleasure, he rubbed it firmly. They made love long into the evening, time and time again reaching new heights of pleasure with each climax.

*****************************************************************************  


Akane snuggled into Ranma's chest, still stunned senseless from their coupling. She thought about her feelings for Ranma and relized that she could finally stop denying that she loved him. She glanced at him, and saw a multitlude of expression flash across his face and asked,"What's wrong, Ranma?" Opened his eyes, he turned his head and stared at her. Sighing, Ranma had the distinct feeling about what she asking him about. He was very confused but he knew that he liked her since the first day he had met her. Finally, he was able to admit that he might love her. Ranma said nothing aloud as he wanted to come to terms with himself about how he felt about her. Words were hard for him to express what he felt at the moment so he pulled her closer and decided that since he couldn't talk about it he would show her. Gently, he pulled her closer and hugged her, this was the only way he knew how to show her that he cared about her. 

Akane watched his face and saw many emotions chasing themselves across his visige. She could see his frustration, for not knowing how to express himself properly in a verbal sense. He felt disgust at himself, for not being able to tell the other girls whom he really loved. Akane smiled at the next emotion. She could see his confusion of why she chose to be his lover after everything, she knew on a subconcious level that he loved her. Ranma took a deep breath and decided to voice a question, "Akane? Why are you so jelious all the time?"

Akane smiled secreativly and replied, "You never will figure that one out, Ranma. I suggest giving up now." 

Ranma sighed as he hugged her closer, "Akane?" 

"Hmm?" Akane sighed as she shook off the tingles that jumped up and down her spine. Akane felt confused.

"Do youdo you...love...me?" he asked uncertainly. 

Akane smiled gently while nodding her head, "Yes. Otherwise I wouldn't have let you make love to me." She gently nipped his ear lobe, whispering the words out loud, "I love you, Ranma. With all my heart."   


"Oh," Ranma smiled as he realized that it was because Akane loved him that she got so jelious. Ranma pulled her tighter into his embrace and then slowly made love to her once more. As the sun set, the night air rang with Akane and Ranma's screams of ecstasy.   


****************************************************

  


Akane groaned softly as a wave of nausea slammed into her, rolling over on her bed, she covered her mouth with one hand while dashing out the door faster than a streak of lightning. She barely made it to the forest's edge when her stomach heaved. Dropping to her knees, Akane clutched her stomach, as she was thoroughly sick. After about ten minuets of this the sickness finally abated enough when she felt better. "I'd better be coming down with a cold or we're in big trouble," she muttered quietly while making her way back into the hut. Akane knew that one month had passed since the last hunting sojourn and their bout of lovemaking, she just knew that Ranma would want to go on another one today but she didn't feel too good this morning and she knew that Ranma had to be told about it. Opening the door, Akane searched the gloomy interior for Ranma. Finally spotting the lump under the covers, she smiled before making her way over to his side. "Ranma," Akane called as she shook him hard and waited a few moments for any reaction. No response. "Geeze!" Akane sighed, completely exasperated with her fiancé. Taking a deep breath, Akane bent down next to his ear and yelled loudly, "RANMA GET UP!"

"Aaaaaaaaa!" the pigtailed boy screamed as he vaulted from a sleeping position to clinging on the ceiling. Glancing down, Ranma spotted the cause of his recent rude awakening and growled in annoyance, "Whadja do that for?"

Akane sighed once more while rolling her eyes before she said, "I couldn't get you to wake up! Besides," she growled as she sat down. "I don't feel so good this morning. I just got back from being sick." Akane placed her hand on her forehead for a few moments before continuing, " I know that I'm not running a temperature and I only have one answer as to why. I've come to the conclusion that I might be....p-p..."

Ranma leaned forward as her explanation faded out to a bare whisper, "What?" he said cupping his ear with his right hand. "What didja say, I can't hear you."

Akane gulped and took a deep breath before screaming, "I might be pregnant, you jerk!"

Ranma froze; his eyes became wider than dinner plates while his face lost all color, "ACK!" He then stared at her for a few seconds while stammering, "P...p....p....preg...pregnant....."

Akane nodded and opened her mouth to reply but before she could, Ranma's eyes rolled up into his head and he fainted dead away. "Ranma!" Akane gasped, completely shocked at his unexpected reaction. She just couldn't believe the so called man among men had fainted at the mere mention of her having his baby! Quickly, Akane rose to her feet, grabbing the small bucket hanging by the door, she ran outside to gather some cold water. "This'll snap him out of it," she muttered, kneeling down and scooping up the icy cold water. Turning, she ran back inside the hut, grabbed his arm and dragged him out onto the porch. Picking up the bucket, Akane tried one last time to snap him out of it, "Ranma! If you don't wake up, I'm going to splash you with this water!" No response. "Oh well, don't say I didn't warn you," Akane said as she poured the cold water on him. 

"That's cold!" Ranma-chan screamed as she sat up sputtering. Turning her attention towards Akane she said, "Whad'ja do that for!"

Akane glared at Ranma and calmly replied, "You fainted."

"That's impossible...Guys don't faint, so I didn't faint," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Akane sighed once more and replied, "Ok, guys don't faint but I hate to break it to you, Ranma...but_ you_ just did when I told you that I might be pregnant."

"How could that have happened?"

"Oh, the usual way, I would imagine," Akane replied wryly.

"But..."

"Ranma, it is possible for a girl to get pregnant with her first time of having sex. I think that I am pregnant," Akane replied while mentally counting the days since her last period. Nodding her head she went on to say, "Yep, now I'm sure that I'm pregnant. I missed having my period by two weeks and I'm always regular."

Ranma gulped, he didn't know what to do about this new turn of events but he knew that honor demanded that he marry Akane. "In fact," he silently berated himself, "I should have married her the first night right after we made love. I guess there is only one thing left to do now." Quickly getting up, Ranma gathered his courage and said, "Akane...I..I love you...will you marry me?"

Akane didn't even have to think about it and replied, "Yes! I'll marry you, you baka!" Quickly, before he could turn away, Akane threw herself into Ranma-chan's arms and kissed her directly on the mouth, not caring whether or not Ranma was a girl. All Akane knew was that Ranma was Ranma in either forms and that she loved him. "He's all mine...there's no way the other girls can dispute my claim and take him away from me when we've had a baby together. But, how the heck are we going to get married?" Akane thought before voicing her concerns. "Ranma, how can we get married without a priest!"

Ranma smirked and replied, "That's easy, Akane. We'll just have a private Shinto ceremony...except we'll be drinking juice instead of saki." Ranma pulled Akane closer and kissed her again before letting her go and trotting off to take a dip in the hot springs. "I'll be back in twenty minutes and I'll make sure to bring something to eat, Akane."

"All right, I'll be here when you come back. I need to think about a few things, see you later, Ranma!" Akane called after him as she sat down and started to worry. "How the hell am I going to have this baby with no doctors around! I really didn't want to say this but......I'm scared."

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Autors Note:

I have edited this chapter so that there won't be any complaints as to the rating. If you are looking for a more intense scene between Ranma and Akane, please feel free to visit my website. 

http://www.geocities.com/ayongedarling2/StrandedChapter7.html


	9. The Lost Boy's Travels

Chapter 8

"Arrg!" The scream echoed throughout the Tendo residence, as one Nabiki Tendo vented her frustrations at not being able to locate the lost boy.

Kasumi entered the room with a look of puzzlement," What's the matter, Nabiki?"

"I can't believe how hard it is to find Ryoga!" the frustrated middle Tendo replied while practically tearing out her hair in the process. It had been nine months since her plan to use the lost boy to find her sister and so far he had failed to be located or even show up at the doujou.

"Cheer up, Nabiki. I'm sure he'll show up soon," Kasumi replied with a smile.

"But..."

"Yes. I agree with you," Soun replied entering the room. "That boy is due to show anytime now."

"Tendo is right, Nabiki," Genma replied while placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder.

"Well I..." Nabiki started to reply when a loud cry erupted from outside.

"RANMA PREPARE TO DIE!!!"

  
"There, you see," Kasumi replied. "He finally did decide to show up."

  
Nabiki and the rest of the family ran out side to greet the lost boy before he decided to get lost again. The middle Tendo daughter was the first one at the lost boy's side. "Ryoga!"

The lost boy turned around at the shout, placing a hand behind his head he nervously stuttered, "N...Nabiki." Before remembering his true purpose for being at the doujou. "Where's Ranma! I'm gong to make him pay for running out on our fight!"

"Oh dear," Kasumi sighed from Nabiki's right. "You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard, what?" The lost boy replied, completely puzzled now.

"Well. It's like this," Nabiki started to say but her father interrupted her.

"MY BABY AND RANMA ARE MISSING.........WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Soun cried emotionally.

"What!" Ryoga screamed in surprise. He turned around to leave when he felt a firm hand grip his shoulder. Turning, he stared at the person and growled, "Nabiki, let go so I can find them."

Rolling her eyes, Nabiki replied, "It's not going to be that easy Ryoga-kun. You seeRanma and Akane were going on a trip to Tahiti a year and four months ago. They were caught in an unexpected storm and their helicopter went down. There were search parties sent out but they were unable to find them. They were presumed drowned at sea."

Ryoga's face whitened at that pronouncement and his legs suddenly gave out. The lost boy landed on the ground hard while he shook his head, "N...no. No, not Akane.....why.....and Ranma....oh god...."

  
Nabiki saw that the lost boy was quickly going into a state of shock so she decided to do something about it. Quickly raising her hand she slapped him hard across the face. "Ryoga! Snap out of it!"

"Huh?" Ryoga replied, blinking at the sudden sensation of pain.

"Ryoga, we think that they may still be alive....but we don't know where they are." Nabiki paused, took a deep breath and continued with her explanation. "We've got the general direction but that typhoon must have blown them way off course... and that's where you come in." 

"What?" Ryoga said, clearly missing the point. "Why do you need me?"

"We need you to help us find them," Kasumi whispered quietly.  
  
"WHAT!" the lost boy shouted, shocked at the recent turn of events. "I can't find them!"

"Oh, but we think you can," Nabiki replied. "Only a lost martial artist can find two missing martial artists."  
  
"Ryoga, please help us find them," Kasumi whispered, near tears. The emotional strain from the last nine months had finally caught up with her.

Ryoga noticed that Kasumi was about to cry and his heart broke at the eldest Tendo's expression of despair. Silently, he debated with himself about being able to find Ranma and Akane using his family curse. Sighing, the lost boy finally nodded his head and replied, "Alright...I'll try."

  
******************************************************

  
Ranma and Akane knelt in the middle of a clearing with the gentle rumble of the waterfall was the only sound that marred the silence. A bowl made from a coconut shell sat in between the two. Each stared into the others eyes while a gentle wind ruffled their hair. Slowly, Ranma reached down and picked up the bowl, turning it three times in the palm of his hand, the pigtailed boy concentrated on what he was doing. Ranma preyed that he wouldn't mess this up, then he spoke, "I Ranma Saotome, do pledge myself to be your husband in sickness an' health from this day forward until th' end of our days and into th' next life." Lifting the bowl, he took a sip of its contents before passing it over to Akane.

Akane grasped the bowl in shaking hands while trying to calm her fluttering nerves. Taking a deep breath, Akane turned the bowl in a clockwise motion three times before taking a sip and reciting her vows, " I, Akane Tendo do take you, Ranma Saotome to be my husband. In sickness and health, through all the chaos that follows us through our lives," she paused for a moment, smiling gently as a small laugh escaped her lips. Then she continued, "and into the next life," Akane took two more sips before passing the bowl back towards Ranma.

He accepted the bowl and turned it again in a clockwise motion and recited, "I promise ta be a faithful loving husband, never ta stray and ta protect ya from any threat as I see fit."

Akane accepted the bowl once more, "I promise to be a faithful and loving wife and I also will protect you as I see fit." Akane saw the protest in his gaze and chided him softly, "I'm a martial artist, Ranma. I won't stand by and see you get hurt if I can fight by your side...I love you." Akane didn't wait for his answer and drank before passing it back to him.

Ranma smiled softly, his gaze full of love as he accepted the bowl for the last time, " I will give you as many children as you want.... and I promise ta be a loving father an' not take th` children away on training trips with out bringin` ya along." Ranma drank the last of the juice from the bowl before setting it down with a final thump. Glancing up into Akane's eyes, he said, "I love you, Akane...my wife." 

Akane's smile lit her whole face as she launched herself into his arms with a glad cry, "Oh, Ranma!" Grasping his chin with shaking fingers, Akane brought her lips towards his and whispered, "....my husband."

Ranma smiled before he took her lips in a savage kiss meant to let her know that he claimed her as his and wouldn't let anyone else have that right. The two were lost in each others embrace for ten minutes before he finally broke the kiss and sat back on his heals. "Akane," he whispered softly as he hugged her to his chest.

"Yes, Ranma."

"Let's take the day off. We have plenty of food stashed away and we can always finish the repairs to the hut tomorrow and complete that pool that we were going to make to protect us from the sharks," Ranma suggested softly.

Akane sat in his lap deep in thought before lifting her chin to gaze into his eyes and replied, " Alright, Ranma. I think that," she leaned in closer, daring to take a chance and rubbed her chest against his. "is a great idea," she breathed softly, her breath feathering over his lips and sending a bolt of desire straight through his system.

Ranma gulped as he felt the surge of uncontrollable desire lance though his body. He tried to control himself but when Akane rubbed her chest against his, he lost all coherent thought. Hugging her tightly in his arms, Ranma leapt to his feet and carried her through the forest and into their home. For the rest of the afternoon and well into the night, the island rang with their combined screams of pleasure.

*********************************************** 

  
As Ryoga plodded through a snowdrift, he could see nothing but trees and mountains. "I can't believe I promised to help them find Ranma and Akane...I must have been out of my mind," he muttered with a small sigh. The lost boy remembered that he had made that promise months ago and so far he still hadn't found them. If he tallied the time up correctly, Ranma and Akane had been missing for over a year now and he was no closer to finding them when he had started. "Lets see now," he muttered, lifting his gloved hand and began ticking off the number of places he had been so far. "I've been to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh, and Tokyo _three _ times, Canada, Hawaii, South America," his voice rose with each finger that came down. "France, England and Spain...." the lost boy stopped and panted for breath, "and according to my map that Nabiki gave me....I'm no where near where I'm supposed to be!"

Suddenly he heard a noise from behind him and turned around to see a small black and white bird waddle across his path. Ryoga sighed as he thought about where he could be now. He knew that he hadn't seen any sign of people living anywhere. Shading his eyes, he glanced around but all he could see in every direction was more trees and more snow. "This is just great...I have no idea where the hell I am," he growled in irritation. 

Turning around, he decided to take another direction in hopes of ending up somewhere warmer. Ryoga had only taken ten steps when the air around him began to shimmer. However, he took no notice of this fact since he was deep in thought about how the heck he was going to find them. Suddenly he began to notice that the air around him was no longer cold and that at that particular second, he felt like he was going to have heat stroke. Glancing up from his musings, Ryoga saw that he was walking on a tropical beach. Quickly, he removed all of his heavy clothing before taking stock of his surroundings. Over to his left, he saw a nice hut that was situated in a clearing with a waterfall nearby. "I hope I'm not on an island where the natives eat other people," he muttered quietly to himself as he started walking in the direction of the hut. He was very careful to keep it in site, lest he get lost again. Just as he was about to enter, Ryoga heard the sound of laughter ring throughout the forest, cocking his head, he listened closely and muttered, "that sounds familiar..."

********************************************************

A new day dawned over the island when Ranma was suddenly awakened by the sound of his wife tossing her cookies. Groaning, Should I go and help her or just leave her alone? he debated with himself for a few seconds before coming to a decision. Quickly, rolling out of bed, Ranma made his way to Akane's side and held her while she went through he ancient ritual of Morning sickness. Whipping her brow with gentle strokes he asked, Are you alright, Akane?

  
Ooh, I feel like I'm going to be sick again, she groaned before her stomach heaved once more. This went on for another two minutes before Akane was able to lean back in his embrace, panting for breath. Akane wished that this would go away but she knew that she had only been pregnant three months and was due to continue with the morning sickness for quite some time. Every morning it had become routine for her, roll out of bed and make a break for the edge of the forest where she would be sick. Then when that was over, Ranma would carry her back to the hut, get her something light to eat before getting himself his own breakfast. Then the day would be spent taking care of the things that needed to be done. Yesterday, they had gone hunting and much to Ranma's protests, she had insisted on going along. Akane smiled as she came out of her musings and found that once again she had been carried home. Thank you, Ranma. I'm really hungry right nowcould you please get me some of that? Akane said while pointing towards a pile of fruit. 

Sure, Akane, came his cheerful reply as he quickly grabbed a heaping portion of guava fruit. Grinning, Ranma rolled his eyes at the thought of what he was doing but he knew that Akane needed to eat more in order to keep herself and their child healthy. Every time he glanced at Akane and her slightly rounded stomach, he was filled with some unnamed emotion that made him want to hold her in his arms and never let go. Turning, Ranma lugged the huge pile a fruit towards Akane and set it down. As he watched her eat, he was amazed at the amount that she was able to pack away. It almost surpassed the amount of food that he ate with every meal and she was only three months along. I think that she'll be eating twice as much in a few months since she's carrying a Saotome, he thought to himself while his eyes shown with love.

MMM, that was good! Akane chirped while rubbing her stomach. Smiling, she turned her attention back towards Ranma and asked, .what are we going to do today, Ranma?

The pigtailed boy sat in silence for a moment while he thought about the vast amount of chores that needed to be taken care of. Suddenly, he sat up straighter and began tracing the plans in the sand next to the porch and replied, I think we should build that fishing pool over by the south beach. Here is what I think it should look like.

Akane leaned closer as she watched the plans take shape. Hey! That's not a bad idea! But, if we leave little gaps at the top of the rocksonly small ones mind you, then it will let the fish in and keep the sharks out! Turning, Akane beamed a megawatt smile his way as she stood up and began running towards the south beach. Come on, Ranma let's go! she yelled over her shoulder.

Akane! you shouldn't be runnin like that! Ranma called out, worried that she might seriously injure herself or their child. Jumping to his feet, he chased after her down the beach. Man, she sure does recover fast from bein sick, he muttered as he finally caught up to her. Ranma didn't bother to explain what they were going to do, but Akane watched as he walked directly the cliff face and glanced over his shoulder and called out, Stand back, Akane!

What are you doing, baka? Akane called back but moved out of the way like he asked.

I'm getting us enough rocks to build the pool, he yelled back while concentrating. Positioning his hands in front of himself, he focused his energies before taking a deep breath. he screamed as he sliced huge chunks of rock off the cliff face. 

  
Akane blinked at the results, she had never seen Ranma used his full power before so she was a little bit amazed at the amount of destruction it could cause. From what she could see, they had enough materials from that one blast to build two pools. she whispered quietly before getting an idea. Hey, Ranma!

You have_ got_ to teach me how to do that! Akane yelled while practically bouncing with eagerness to learn a new technique.

Ranma chuckled nervously while grinning. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to teach her something like that, in her condition, she might just hurt herself, he thought. Turning, he was about to refuse when he noticed her look of wonder and happiness at the thought of learning. Sighing, he gave a half hearted protest, But, Akane, you might hurt yourself and the baby.

You worry too much, Ranma. I'll be fine! she replied with a growl.

Alright, but first ya gotta learn how to focus and in order to do that.ya gotta learn how to control your chi. Ranma walked over to the pile of boulders while Akane followed two steps behind, he pointed to the largest boulder and said, Ya gotta lift that and place it right at the edge of the water. But, in order to lift it, you have to focus your chi into your arms to make you stronger.

Akane nodded while focusing on what her husband was telling her before she replied, "Ok, Ranma. You know this stuff better than I do." Bending down, Akane focused her energies into her arms and lifted a ton of rock with little effort. As she walked over to the waters edge, Ranma blinked and muttered, "yep, she sure does have brute strength alright." Ranma grinned as he made his way over to the rock pile to lend a hand.

*******************************************************

It was late in the afternoon a week later when Ranma stood up from placing the last boulder. Finally, the task of hauling boulders to make a special swimming/fishing pool was completed. Stretching the kinks out of his sore arms and shoulders, Ranma glanced up and called for his wife, Hey Akane! When there was no reply, he became a bit worried. Ranma knew that she had been helping him just a two hours ago but she had decided to take a short break. Ranma realized that Akane had never come back, so he set out in search of her. Hmm, Maybe I'll check back homeif she's not there then I'll just check somewhere else, Ranma thought as he made a break for the tree line. 

Ducking and weaving through the thick foliage, Ranma ran steadily towards his destination. He hoped that he wouldn't find Akane to be in any serious danger. Heck, she could still be eatin for all I know. Right now, she can almost give me a good workoutnot as fast as Pop though, but she's getting there! Ranma grinned while remembering last night's fiasco at dinner. He had just finished roasting some pig and had set the table when Akane had walked in. She had taken one look at the meal and fell on it like a slavering wolf. 

Ranma smiled, remembered turning around to see half the dinner consumed and Akane working on finishing the other half. He had to scramble to get a small piece before she could eat it. Ranma had seen the look in her eyes when she watched him finish it and had immediately put some fish over the fire to try and abate her hunger. Akane's pregnancy isn't showing yet, but it won't be long now before she starts to gain weight, Ranma mumbled as he pushed aside a large vine hanging in front of his face. 

Arriving at their home, he quickly climbed the stairs and entered, he called loudly while scanning the lower lever and checking the two other rooms. When he received no answer, he climbed up stairs and checked the loft. Akane wasn't there either. Ok, now I gotta go check somewhere else.I know, he exclaimed, smacking his fist into his palm. I'll check the larder! She's gotta be a hungry from all that work! he yelled to no one in particular as he dashed out the door.

  
When he arrived at the falls, he quickly took the safest path that led behind the thundering water without the risk of getting wet. Ranma knew that Akane had gotten into the habit of eating inside the caves for two reasons. The first being that she was close to the food and didn't have to travel too far and the second, it was nice and cool inside the cave and gave her a break from the stifling heat of the day. Walking around, Ranma didn't want to risk missing her, so he checked each chamber just in case. When he couldn't find any trace of her he exclaimed, Aww, man! She's not here! Guess I'll have to check the hot springs. 

Ranma left the falls and began running at a quick pace for fifteen minutes before he could see the steam from the springs just up ahead. Quickening his pace, Ranma burst into the clearing and found Akane. Man, she shouldn't be sleeping out here, he mumbled while making his way to her side, lifting her out of the water, Ranma gently set her down on their drying rock before shaking her shoulder to wake her. "Akane, it's time to get up."

"Mmm," she murmered, slowly her eyes opened. "Ranma..."

"Yeah." he smiled gently beore replying, "I thought you were just gonna get somthin to eat?"

Yawning, Akane sat up and streatched, "I was, but then I thought about taking a bath. One minute I was in the water and the next thing I know, you're waking me up. What happened?"

"You fell asleep," he replied grinning. "Come on, I finished the fishing pool." Ranma stood, dragging Akane up with him and started walking towards the beach with Akane in tow.

  
"Alright," she yawned while following her husband. 

When they arrived, Akane blinked at the site of the completed fishing pool. It was huge and it ran about the length of a soccar field. "Wow," she breathed in disbelief. The site of the finished product was amazing compared to what Ranma had drawn in the sand. Now all they had to do was wait a few days since the pool was designed to trap the fish when the tide went back out to sea. Turning around, Akane hugged Ranma while exclaiming, "That was a brilliant idea, Ranma!"

Embarrased, he blushed while putting a hand to the back of his head, "Aww, it was nothin, Akane."

Akane grinned when she saw his blush and decided to tease him a bit, "You know that it was a brillant idea and when we get home, I'm going to shout it out to everyone in our neighborhood."

"Hey! Don't you dare...after all, I've got a reputation to uphold!" he protested with a mock glare.

Akane giggled while backing up a step before sticking out her tounge, "Naaa! I'm going to do it and you can't stop me!"

"Akane!" he growled taking a step closer.

Akane laughed while she ran, her voice floated across the distance as she sped away down the sandy beach, "You have to catch me first, Ranma!" 

Ranma blinked in astonishment as he watched his wife run, he grinned, a mischivious smile while his eyes glittered with amuzement, "So," he chuckled. "Akane wants to play, huh?" Ranma quickly, ran after her, calling her name and laughing all the way, "Akane! Get back here!" 

Akane laughed as she ran down the beach and passed infront of their home,"Hehehe, You can't catch me!"

Ranma laughed, "Don't bet on it, Akane!" he shouted, closing the gap between them, he reached out his hand and grazed Akane's ticklish spot, causing her to squeal with laughter. 

************************************************************

Ryoga stepped out onto the porch and gaped in disbelief at the site of two people running past him. Squinting, the lost boy's brain finally processed the information of what he just saw and felt his nose start to tingle. He realized that he had seen a girl run past him wearing next to nothing and accompanied by a boy with a pigtail, "Akane?....and....Ranma?!" 

Blinking, Ryoga glancing around himself and realized that what he was standing in must be the home that they had built. "I can't believe it!" he gasped. "I've finally found them!" he muttered as they streaked past him heading for the tree line.

  
Realizing that they were getting away from him, Ryoga ran after them shouting, "Hey! Get back here! Ranma!...Akane wait up!" They had a good lead on him and dissapeared into the forest. Ryoga was determined to keep them in site as he tried to follow them. Pushing vines and branches out of his way, he panted for breath, the hot muggy air made it difficult to breath. Pausing, he tried to get his bearings and heard the sound of laughter off to the right. Turning, the lost boy dashed off in that direction hoping that he would catch them soon. He never noticed the air around him start to shimmer and warp as he ran. 

  
Realizing that he could no longer hear their laughter, Ryoga paused and glanced around, he finally noticed the change in the senary and realized that he was now standing in the middle of a huge forest instead of a tropical beach. The tree trunks were thirty feet around on the base and some of them had roads cut straight through them. Ryoga cursed and screamed, "Where the hell am I, now!" 

Turning, he started walking and thought, "I have got to tell Nabiki that they're alive!" Ryoga grinned while he started walking faster. The senary blurred once more as he wondered at the reaction he would get when he informed the Tendo and Saotome families. The lost boy hoped that he could make it to the Tendo's soon so that he could tell them the good news. "Boy," he muttered quietly. "They looked diffrent from what little I did see of them...." 

  
**************************************************************


	10. 9 months later

Chapter 9

Panting for breath, Akane paused and groaned while trying to work the kinks out of her sore back. For some odd reason, Akane felt extremly restless and wanted to stay by Ranma's side but he had dissapeared. So she had decided to go look for him which is what she was doing now. Akane wished that she had stayed home and waited for him to return but since she had been determined to find him, she had set out to do so. Now she was regreting her decision since she was eight and a half months pregnant and could barely see her feet past the huge swell of her belly. Glancing around, she rested on a log for a moment as she waited to get her breath back, Akane wondered where Ranma had gone off too. "He had better get back soon. He promised to get me something to eat and there is no way I'm walking all the way over to the larder!" Akane thought while rubbing her huge distended stomach. Walking was extremely difficult for her since her belly was the size of a large beach ball. Akane didn't have anything or anyone to compare her pregnancy to so she just shrugged it off as being normal. Sudenly, Akane felt a thumping kick in her side and grunted, "Ugh!" Then, grinning she placed her hand on the spot as the baby kicked again and whispered, "Already you're practicing martial arts like your father. I just wish you would wait a little longer and not beat me up from the inside." 

  
Giving her stomach one last pat she glanced around, getting her bearings she chose another well worn path and continued on her way. "I wonder what you'll be? I know Ranma would be happy to have a son. But, I don't think that he'll be dissapointed if you're a girl either." Akane headed off in the direction of the mango grove. "I...hope I find...him soon....*pant*...and when I do find that baka....*pant*... I'm going to pound him!" she thought, stepping over a large stone in the path.   
She had been walking for a good twenty minutes and had reached the grove when suddenly, a noise was heard off to her left, Akane froze. The sound came again, this time it was much closer and she could detect the slight sounds of breathing. 

  
Scanning her sourroundings, Akane gulped as a sudden shiver of aprehention worked its way down her spine. She didn't care for the feeling one bit and it made her nervious. She hoped that it wasn't a preditor since they had never found the animal that had tryied to attack her that first night on the island. They had assumed it dead, now she wasn't so sure that it had died. Spinning around in a circle, Akane crounched down and picked up a large branch just incase she would need to defend herself and waited. "Ranma...." she whispered while strainging for the slightest sound. Akane knew that if it really was Ranma, he would have announced his presance a while ago. 

Movement on her blind side......

Akane whirrled, instinctivly swinging the branch, it connected with a thump....

A screaming roar echoed though the air and a lound crash over to her left....

Akane whirrled and saw an animal about the size of a large dog. It was crounched down, tail lashing the air, the animal let loose a loud screaming roar before it lept through the air. Akane screamed, "AAAAAAAAA!" as she despreatly tried to move out of its path. But, her ungainly body proved itself too slow and difficult to move out of the way fast enough. She had only taken three steps when she triped and fell heavily on her stomach. Akane screamed as shooting pain stabbed through her stomach. Despratly she grasped the stick tightly in her hand, she could hear the animal aproching. Then swinging blindly, she heard the crack as the branch connected with her target. Rolling over, Akane glanced towards the dazed animal and not waising any time screamed loudly, "RANMAAAAAAA!"

************************************************

  
Ranma's head snapped up as he heard Akane scream his name. "Akane!" he yelled suddenly scared for her welfare, he didn't like the sound of it and ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards the area where her scream came from. Bursting though the heavy undergrowth, Ranma paused a split second, taking in the scene with amazing clarity. Akane, he saw was sitting up, clutching her stomach and panting heavily while pressing herself as close to one of the trees as possible. In front of her was a large animal intent on making her its next meal. 

  
His mind working furiously, Ranma jumped in front of Akane and finally saw what the animal was. He shivered once as his fear spiked, there was a sudden audible snapping sound as he succumbed to the cat-fist. Ranma bared his teeth and hissed menacingly as the need to protect his mate and their unborn child overrode every thought of running away. The cat rose to its feet and screamed before launching itself through the air towards both of them. Ranma growled loudly while stretching out his arms, "Grrrrrr," and releasing the biggest ki blast he could produce. It hit the cat dead center and incinerated it into nothing but ashes. Finally, reason began to work its way back into the pigtailed boy's mind and he slumped while gasping for breath. He couldn't believe that he had just faced a cat and over come his fear with the aid of the cat-fist

Suddenly he heard a gasping moan of pain from behind him and whirling, Ranma quickly made his way to Akane's side. Kneeling down, he gently placed a hand on her stomach, "Are you alright, Akane?"

Akane opened her mouth to reply but gasped as a rippling sensation worked it's way around from her back towards the front of her stomach, she moaned in pain, clutching her stomach and screamed, "AAAAAAAA!"

"Akane! What's wrong!" Ranma practically screamed in worry.

"The...the baby....it's coming!" she panted for breath, fear shown in her eyes. "I...," another contraction hit, doubling her up and moaning Akane reached out and clutched his hand. 

Eyes widening in panic, Ranma tried to remain calm but was having little success in keeping his emotions contained. Quickly, he scooping her up into his arms, he ran as fast as his burden allowed, back towards their home. Suddenly, Akane felt a gush of warm fluid from between her legs and yelped, "Hurry, Ranma! I think my water just broke!" Ranma nodded and ran faster, he could see the roof of their home just a little way off. Once it came into site, he leaped onto the porch and hurried into their home, gently he placed Akane down on the bedding. Then, leaping into action, Ranma quickly got a pot of water boiling. He knew that this was important since Akane had told him what to do a few weeks ago and had made him recite it until he got it right. After a few stops and starts, Ranma finally got everything ready before running back into the hut. Akane glanced up gasping as another contraction hit as he knelt by her side, "Ooooh! It hurts!" 

"Here," Ranma murmured while running his hands over her back, he quickly struck a few pressure points to ease the pain. "How's that?"

Akane blinked as the pain eased slightly and replied, "B...better." 

"Good," he grunted and relaxed slightly. "Try to get some rest, ok?"

Nodding her head, Akane closed her eyes and rested between each contraction. After an hour of rest, her contractions sped up until they were one minute apart. Now, Akane knew, was the time to push. Suiting actions to thoughts, Akane pushed for all her worth. Ranma by her side, assisted as best he could, wiping her brow with a cool cloth, giving her water when she needed it and bracing her against his chest as she pushed. Akane's labor went well into the night and into early morning the next day. 

The peacefulness of the still morning air was shattered as Akane gave one loud wailing scream and fainted. Ranma quickly, made his way around her and saw the two twin bundles lying on the mat. Quickly, he cleaned out their airways, washed them and then bundled them up before checking on his wife. Akane was fine, he was relieved to note that she had just passed out from exhaustion. Ranma was tired too, but he quickly noted that he had a son and a daughter while crawling over towards Akane's side, a child in each arm. "I hope they don't have my curse," he thought before passing out himself. 

Ranma awoke two hours later to the wailing cries of his newborn children. Grumbling, he quickly rolled over towards them and picking them up, he brought them towards Akane. Placing each into her arms, Ranma woke her up gently, "Akane, something's wrong with them."

Akane opened her eyes wearily and glancing towards her babies, she smiled. "Ranma?"

"What?"  
  
"Could you untie my top, please.....the babies are hungry," Akane replied while trying to hide a wince of pain. Her breasts ached fiercely and throbbed with each wailing cry of her children.

Blushing, Ranma complied and then watched in wonder as Akane fed both their children. "What are we going to name them?" he asked curiously.

"I was thinking, Tenma, if I had a boy and Kamiko, after my mother, if I had a girl," Akane replied while gently rubbing her cheek over one of the babies heads.

"Well, we can use both of the names since we have a boy and a girl."

"Oh, Ranma..." Akane sighed as tears of happiness made their way down her face.

Reaching out a hand, Ranma gently caressed the soft down of both his children's head, his eyes reflecting the untold love he felt for both. "Akane?"

"Hmm."

"I love you."

Akane smile lit up her eyes as she replied, "I love you too, Ranma."

********************************************

  
Stopping for a minute to take a well deserved rest, Ryoga figured that it had been three years of non stop traveling since he had last seen Akane and Ranma. He couldn't believe the weird things that he had seen. Ryoga remembered one of the places that he had visited in which there was this small flat-chested sorceress who loved to throw fireballs. In another place he had managed to loose himself in was this weird place where people had pointed ears...."Now that place was strange!" he muttered quietly to himself before taking stock of his surroundings. Suddenly, the lost boy heard a loud wailing sound and glanced around. What he saw was a familiar looking sign that said 'Welcome to the Tendo doujou, all challengers must enter through the back gate.' "Finally, I've made it!" he yelled before opening the gate and walking though. As Ryoga entered the Tendo yard, he thought about how much his friends had changed. Akane, he realized, had much longer hair and a tan to match. While Ranma looked a little taller and had increased in muscle density. They didn't look depressed and from what he remembered seeing, they looked like they didn't have a care in the world. His musings were interrupted by a gentle voice.  
  
"Oh my, hello Ryoga."

Looking up, Ryoga saw Kasumi standing over a laundry basket full of clothing. It looked like she was in the middle of hanging them up to dry. "Kasumi! I have great news!"

"Really?"

"Yes, but you have to get everyone to hear this!" he replied anxiously. 

"All right," Kasumi replied, turning, she headed into the house calling for everyone. 

When the two families were gathered around the table, Ryoga told them what he had just seen. Soun began wailing, "Akane! My baby! She's alive!"

Genma grinned and shouted, "Yes!" Standing, he started dancing and around waiving flags in the air, "Their alive! Now, our schools will finally be joined!"

"Alright!" Nabiki screamed as a huge grin worked its way onto her lips. Now we have to get the search and rescue team to find them!" Looking over in Ryoga's direction, Nabiki asked, "Ryoga, did you get a chance to talk to them? Did you notice anything wrong with them?"

Ryoga scratched his head and replied, "Um, no."

Nabiki blinked and then realized that in her excitement, she had forgotten about the lost boys' directional problem and cursed, "Shit! You lost them, didn't you?" Ryoga nodded and Nabiki started muttering under her breath, Of all the stupid idiotic..Now we'll never find them! her voice faded as she left the room.

Ryoga grinned embarrassed and replied softly, "They sure did look happy though..."

******************************************


	11. All Hell Breaks Loose!

Chapter 10 

  
Tenma! Kamiko!" Akane called for her two children as she exited their home. When she received no answer to her calls, Akane sighed completely exasperated. It had been two years since the birth of the twins and now that they could walk, they got into all sorts of trouble. "You had better answer me or I'll have to tell your father you were bad!"

  
Still no response. "Guess I'll have to search for them," Akane muttered as she headed off into the forest at a brisk walk. Pausing ever one hundred yards or so, Akane called for the two trouble makers, "Tenma! I swear....if you don't come out...You won't be allowed to go swimming for a week!"

No answer. Akane rolled her eyes while heaving a huge sigh, "There not here....I'll have to check by the falls then." Turning around, Akane headed off in that direction while checking every available hiding spot she could think of. She even glanced upwards to see if they were hiding in the trees. Over the years, their ability to adapt and learn grew at an amazing rate and the two were so active that it gave both Ranma and herself a run for their money. They could barely keep up with them as it was now. "God! I hope those two will settle down as they get older....right now I'm so tired I could just sleep for two weeks straight."

Akane stopped walking as the loud roar of the falls filtered through the forest. She smiled before hurrying her pace until they came into site. "Kamiko! You and your brother better come out of hiding or you won't be allowed to play with your father!" she called out in hopes of flushing the two out of hiding.

Suddenly, soft-rustling sounds came from behind her followed by the sound of stifled giggles. Rolling her eyes Akane muttered, "Honestly." Grinning as an idea surface, Akane quickly circled around the house so that she would come up behind her children. 

Ranma watched from his perch in the trees and smiled. He had realized long ago that the best place to watch the twins was from a vantage-point where he could see for miles around. Over the last few years, they had managed to get into so much trouble it was driving him to distraction. He remembered the first few months after they were born, Akane always remarked that he couldn't tell the two apart when they were wrapped up in their blankets. He had agreed and then made it a point to memorize each little quirk that the twins exhibited so that he could tell them apart. It had only taken him two weeks before he was able to do so and now he was glad of it since the two frequently liked to play tricks on their parents. Turning his attention back towards the scene down below, Ranma watched as Akane stealthily snuck up on the two little terrors.

Akane smiled as she placed each foot down carefully so each footfall barely made a sound. Inching closer, she tried to stifle her laughter as the twins moved the branches out of their way to peek towards the spot she had been just moments ago. Just as she was about to pounce on them, Akane heard a stifled snort from above. Glancing up, she saw Ranma with his hand over his mouth and one over his stomach. He was currently holding onto a branch by his feet while obviously trying to hold in his laughter. Akane grinned wickedly before giving him a thumbs up before she pounced. "Aha! I've got you now!" She shouted while tickling each twin.

"EEeeeeeeee!" Kamiko screeched as she jumped up and started crawling through the bush before she knew who had surprised her.

"AAAAAA!" Tenma hollered as he quickly scrambled on his hands and knees to get away as fast as possible.

"Finally," Ranma thought as he saw the twins expressions of surprise. Then howling with laughter, he slipped from his perch and fell out of the tree still clutching his belly. "Hahahahahahaha! You.....should....have seen....their....faces!" he gasped while trying to regain his breath.

"Hmph!" Akane replied as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him and said, You were no help at all, Ranma! Besides, they should know by now that they can't hide." 

Getting up, Ranma decided not to argue and replied, "I'll go get them and we can go home....ok?"

"Alright, lunch is ready anyway," Akane replied with a small twinkle in her eye before she jogged off towards home. She had only made it to the edge of the clearing when the ground began shaking and a loud roaring sound filled the air. 

What the holy hell is that! Akane screamed over the noise as she fell to her knees. Glancing over her shoulder towards the volcano, she saw huge gouts of smoke coming from the rim. Terror began to race through her system as she witnessed the gouts of smoke coming from the mouth of the volcano. The ground shaking like a bucking bronco, Akane slowly stood and screamed, "Ranma! Get the kids quickly!"

Ranma didn't question her order as he quickly stood and ran over to where the children had fallen during the quake, scooping each screaming child into his arms, he turned and ran back towards Akane. By some unspoken agreement, the two began to run as fast as their legs would allow in the thick undergrowth. "Damn! he thought as he took a quick glance over his shoulder at the smoking giant. I think we should get to higher ground," Ranma yelled before the loud roaring sound echoed across the island as the volcano suddenly exploded.

Akane and the children screamed in fear and instinctively crouched down, covering their heads with their arms to protect themselves from flying debris. "But shouldn't we get off the island?" Akane screamed as she tried to make herself heard over the loud roaring noise and the screams of their children.

"Do you remember the last time we tried to get off on a raft!" Ranma asked as he quickly regained his feet and continued running. Glancing over towards Akane he saw her grimace in pain as she stepped on a rock before continuing, "We can't risk it with the twins! The reef is too dangerous and we barely managed to swim back in one piece!" 

Akane's face whitened in fright as she remembered the fiasco. Shaking her head, she continued to follow Ranma towards high ground. Suddenly she had an idea, "Hey! What about the cave behind the waterfall!"

"It's too dangerous!" he gasped out as he continued to run. "It could cave in during one of the quakes!"

Akane nodded in reply as she followed him. The ground gradually began to slope upwards, making the trek more difficult than before, but the two martial artists continued their grueling pace. Reaching the top of a small rise, Akane glanced back towards the volcano and saw a huge wall of molten lava heading in their direction and screamed, "RANMA LOOK!"

*****************************************************

Mainland Tahiti:

  
"Sir!" shouted a student of volcanology. Standing he shouted louder, "Quick, you have to come and take a look at this!" Noticing that Mr. Horoshimo was quickly making his way over, Jube sat down once more to monitor the screens. 

"What is it Jube?" Hiroshimo asked as he bent down to stare at the readouts.

"We have confirmed volcanic activity in section thirty six, sir." Jube replied, pointing to a spot on the map near Tahiti.

"Isn't that the one that erupts every five years or so?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Let's get a team down there, quickly. I want to get some samples and some footage of the eruption."

"I'm right on it, sir." Jube exclaimed as he picked up the receiver on his phone and started dialing. The phone rang for a few moments before a voice answered on the other end. 

"Yeah!"

"Get the chopper ready, Max! The Doc says that we're going to get some footage and samples from section thirty six. She's showing large amounts of volcanic activity and is probably blowing her top as we speak," Jube explained excitedly.

"Sure! The chopper will be ready in ten minutes," Max replied. "It should take us twenty minutes to get there!"

"Roger!" Jube answered, conveying his understanding. Turning around, he shouted, "Doc! Ten minutes!"

"Good! Let's go!"  


***********************************************************

  
As the chopper neared the island from the west, the five scientist were treated to a spectacular view of a wall of lava flowing over the eastern rim of Mt. Kalai. Quick, get as close as you can so I can get some of this on film! Dr. Hiroshimo exclaimed as he leaned forward in his seat, never taking his eyes off of the lava flow. 

Max replied as he gently pushed the stick forward, causing the chopper to loose altitude. 

Max, I want you to swing around to the eastern side so we can document this! Jube exclaimed as he hefted a large movie style camera used for documentaries.

  
Sure, Jube! No problem! the pilot replied as he gently eased the joystick tot he right. The helicopter turned and headed on its new course, Max glanced out of the right window and saw something that made him blink in confusion. Clearing his throat, the pilot spoke loudly, 

What is it? Dr. Hiroshimo replied.

I thought I saw a hut on the island, Sir!

You have got to be joking! This is a restricted area! Any pilot who flies over this island is taking their lives into their hands and throwing them away! Not even the search and rescue patrol comes here! Dr. Hiroshimo screamed in agitation.

Don't forget the dangerous coral reefs, Doc! Jube interjected with a grin.  
  
Dr. Hiroshimo absently replied as he was distracted by the thought of people living on the island. Shaking his head and completely dismissing the idea he exclaimed, There are no people living here!

I'm telling you_I_ saw a hut at the edge of those trees back there! Max argued heatedly as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder to make his point.

Dr. Hiroshimo replied as he finally realized that his research mission had turned into a search and rescue mission. 

As the helicopter reached the eastern side of Mt. Kalai, Dr Hiroshimo quickly turned his gaze out the window and started searching. There, just over to the right and in front of the swiftly moving lava flow, he saw a flash of something that seemed to be moving at a fast clip.

  
Dr. Hiroshimo yelled as he pointed towards the place where he saw it. Quickly, turn your camera in that directly and zoom in! I want to know what it was that I saw!

the young student replied, hefting the camera and crouching down, Jube braced himself as he zoomed in on the spot that Dr. Hiroshimo was pointing in. Slowly turning the lens to focus more clearly let loose an exclamation of surprise, Holy Shit, doc! There are people down there!

Max, swing the chopper around for another pass so that they can see us! Dr. Hiroshimo yelled over the loud noise of the rotor blades.

Jube yelled as he focused the lens back towards the flowing lava. He watched in horror as it moved closer and closer to the two running people. You've got to hurry! The lava flow is almost close enough to fry them!

  
Max exclaimed as he took a quick glance out the window and saw exactly what Jube saw. Not taking a second to think, the pilot swung the chopper into a nosedive, hoping that he would make it in time before the lava engulfed the two.

************************************** 

Ranma glanced back and noticed what Akane had screamed about and screamed, Akane! Run faster! 

Huff Akane panted for breath. I'm running as fast as I can!

Take a look behind us and tell me that its' fast enough!

Akane glanced back briefly before facing front once more. AAAA! Faster Ranma. or we're toast she screamed as she dug deep within her reserves for enough energy to run past her usual endurance.

Ranma glanced behind, blanched whiter than snow at the site of a swiftly moving wall of lava headed straight for them. Hitching the twins higher in each arm he pushed himself to run faster. Focusing his eyes on the ridge just ahead, Ranma preyed that they could make it in time before the lava overcame them. If we can just get over there.we can jump clear!

Akane nodded her head and veered off towards the ridge. They could feel the heat of the lava as it gained on them. Akane was scared but she pushed that fear away and continued running. Suddenly, she heard a booming noise and a vague whistling sound that seemed to be getting louder and louder. Hey! Do you hear that? 

Yeah. What the hell is that? Ranma screamed as he swiveled his gaze back and forth. Finally, realizing that it was coming from above, he glanced upwards a saw a huge chunk of molten rock heading directly for them. Shit! Dodge, Akane!

Akane didn't question the order, she quickly changed course and barely managed to escape as the molten rock soared inches from her back to plow into the spot they would have been had they continued in that direction. Even though she managed to dodge the danger, Akane didn't escape unscathed. As the rock hit the earth, it sent up chunks of smoldering ash, one of which landed on her back and causing her to receive a second-degree burn. she screamed in agony when the hot ash hit. Continuing to run, Akane never paused for a second because she knew that even a spit second of indecision would mean her death.

*Whomp * 

A noise could barely be heard over the rumbling roar of the erupting volcano. Akane, do ya hear that? Ranma yelled as he continued running now in the direction of the sea. 

What are you talking about! All I hear is the volcano!

I thought I heard a helicopter!

I don'tAkane started to say when the noise finally reached her ears.

*Whomp*.*Whomp*

Eyes widening to the size of dinner plates she yelled, Yes, it does sound like one! 

Alright! We're saved! Ranma screamed in jubilation. 

Where is it! Akane yelled as she frantically tried to pinpoint the direction of where the sound was coming from. Then, volcano exploded a second time. 

BOOOOOOOOM!

Akane cursed heatedly and quite fluently in both Japanese and English. Suddenly, a shadow swung overhead, blocking out the sunlight and revealed the outline of a chopper. It was coming closer and seemed to be coming in fast. Both Ranma and Akane glanced over their shoulders and realized what the pilot was attempting to do. Ranma yelled loudly as he tried to get her attention.

I think the pilot is going to try to pick us up while we're runnin`! I don't think he can afford ta stop!

I realized that, Ranma! We're going to have to jump into the chopper as it flies by! Akane screamed back to be heard over the noise of the rotor blades. 

Quickly, holding out her arms, she motioned for Ranma to hand over one of the children. At first, Ranma didn't want to do it but he realized that he would need one of his arms free in order to grasp on to the opening of the chopper. Maneuvering himself close enough to pass over one twin, Ranma glanced towards Akane to see if she had the child held securely in her grasp before he let go.

I've got her! Akane confirmed as she continued running towards the moving chopper that had dropped directly along side them. Akane and Ranma changed direction slightly so that they could make the running jump into the hold of the chopper. They could see someone leaning out of the hold and gathered their remaining strength, then, they jumped..

*******************************************


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

  
It was late in the afternoon and Kasumi had just finished cleaning up after dinner. Turning, the eldest Tendo removed her apron and made her way into the den to finish her sewing. As she entered the room, Kasumi could see Soun and Genma playing another game of Mahjongg. She frowned slightly in annoyance; Kasumi was a bit upset at her father and their houseguest since they did nothing to help search for Ranma and Akane. They had been trying to gather up enough money to go look for the two missing heirs but each time they had ended up short of funds. Her frown was quickly replaced by a look of worry as she thought about her youngest sister, Akane. 

Kasumi remembered the day that Akane and Ranma had left for that trip, her sister had been so excited about finally being able to make enough money for college that she hadn't thought twice about going. Of course, Ranma had to go along with her at the insistence of their fathers. Kasumi had started counting the number of days that her little sister and soon to be brother-in-law were missing. Blinking, the eldest Tendo realized how much time had passed since she had last seen her sister. Oh my! I can't believe It's been four years! Oh Akane, please be patient. We'll get enough money saved to start looking for you soo 

Kasumi's thoughts were interrupted as Nabiki ran into the room screaming at the top of her lungs in excitement. I've finally got it! Come one everyone! It's time to go!

Genma glanced up from the board game and asked, What are you shouting about girl?

Soun quickly took advantage of Genma's distraction to switch the board game around, then he glanced turned, Yes, please tell us what has gotten you so excited?

Nabiki paused in the doorway, panting, before she gained enough breath to continue, I have finally managed to make enough money to finance our trip to search for Akane and Ranma!

OH that's wonderful, Nabiki! Kasumi exclaimed, smiling. How did you manage to do it?

Well, I used to make more money off of Ranma and Akane when their rivals wanted information about them, but since they've all left, I've had to resort to relying on the stock market. I just checked this morning on the Takashu stocks, that's a brand new up and coming computer business.I found out that the stocks are worth billions of yen!

Genma shouted, completely shocked. But, didn't you invest in that company?

Nabiki grinned like a shark and nodded her head like a yo-yo. YES! I bought every share that I could get my hands on with the remaining savings of everyone in this house! WE Nabiki started bouncing in place, her face flushed a bright crimson and dollar signs appeared in her eyes, she quickly through herself at her older sister and started dancing around the room and screamed at the top of her lungs 

It took a moment for the information to sink in but when it did, Soun babbled incoherently, then, promptly fainted.

Genma just sat in the same spot he had been in, completely frozen. If a strong wind had come through the shoji doors he would have been flat on his back. When Kasumi and Nabiki finally finished dancing around the room, Kasumi whispered, When can we leave to search for Akane and Ranma?

  
Nabiki glanced towards the two men and sighed, exasperated. Just as soon as we get Tweedle Dee, she pointed to their father, and Tweedle-Dum, Nabiki moved her finger and pointed it straight at the frozen Genma, to snap out of it, she replied dryly.

Kasumi followed the pointing finger and realized that they would have their work cut out for them. Oh my, it looks like they'll be like that for hours or maybe days. We'd better start packing.

Well I Nabiki started to say but was interrupted by a knock on the front door. Can you get that while I try to wake these two clowns up?

Well alright, if you insist, Kasumi sighed and walked out of the room. She had really wanted to see their father's expression once he finally came too. Opening the front door, Kasumi saw two police officers standing on the stoop. Bowing respectfully, she asked, What can I do for you?

Excuse me for bothering you but, my name is officer Nugumi and this, The mustached police officer pointed towards his companion who looked to be a rookie,Is my back up, officer Huro. Officer Nugumi removed his hat and bowed respectfully while Huro fidgeted beside him. Taking a deep breath Nugumi continued, Mam, we recently came across some information on your missing sister and her fiancé, Ranma. 

Kasumi could feel the beginnings of hope and said, Oh my, I hope you've found them." It had been a four years since she'd last seen Akane and the eldest Tendo didn't know how much longer should could hold onto her cheefulness act. Lowering her eyes, she stared at the ground as tears ran down her cheeks, I miss them very much and we are all worried about them." Kasumi sniffled, whipped away the tear tracks and continued, "You see, we have received word about their whereabouts several times in the past few years, each time it led to a dead end.

I'm sure that you will like this The two officers stepped apart and motioned for her to look behind them. Kasumi raised her gaze as saw a van parked in the street. Suddenly, the doors of the van slid open and two figures stepped out. One figure had looked to be in their twenties and had hair that extended past her waist. Her companion stood a good five inches taller than the girl and from what Kasumi could see, was obviously male, he had a good muscular buld that bespoke of constant physical activity. His eyes, were blue and he had black hair that was held back from his face in a pigtail.....

"Wait a minute...a pigtail...,"the thought crawled accross her mind. Blinking in astonishment, Kasumi gaped as recognition slowly worked its way across her mind. Sucking in a deep breath, Kasumi lost her composure and screamed excitedly, AKANE! RANMA!

Deep within the house, the occupants became alerted to the noise and the pounding of feet could be heard. It was so loud that the officers likened it to a stampeding herd of elephants. Nabiki was the first to appear, What is all the commotion about! What are you yelling their names fo then she saw them. Nabiki's ice queen composure cracked and she screamed, "Akane! Ranma!,"and ran over to them and enveloped them in a hug.

Genma and Soun tried to exit the front door and got promptly stuck. They were too busy fighting with each other to notice what was going on ten feet away. Let me though Tendo! We have to see what Kasumi and Nabiki are screaming about.

Soun shook his head and shoved harder to get through the door and replied, I most certainly will not! I'm going firstafter all Saotome, they are my daughters!

"Yes, but something might be wrong," Genma replied and froze in his struggling to be the first out the door when he heard Nabiki's words.

"Oh Akane, Ranma! I'm so glad you're back! What the hell happened?"  
  
Blinking, both fathers stared in shock at the sight of their long lost children, returned to them. It took less then fifteen seconds for it to finally sink into their brains before they both broke out with huge smiles on their faces, they both managed to extract themselves from the door way with a loud poping sound. Akane and Ranma didn't know what hit them as their fathers enveloped them in huge crushing hugs while wailing at the tops of their lungs, "MY BABY'S BACK!"  
  
"ACK! POP! Cut that out!" Ranma cried as he unsuccessfully tried to shove his wailing father off of him. He could vaguely hear Akane's protests as she tried and faild to shove her father off of her. "Daddy! No....Stop that! Ack! Now I'm all soaked!"

Kasumi quickly mande her way over after thanking the officers and pulled both fathers off of them. "Father, Mr. Saotome, please let them breathe. Thank you. Now Akane, Ranma we are very glad that you're back home, please let's go inside.

Everyone turned to go but paused when they heard two young childrens voices say, "Mommy, Daddy...we're hungry!"

Turning, they spotted a young boy and a girl exit the van while rubbing sleep from thier eyes. Soun and Genma both stared at the children before switching their attention towards Akane and Ranma. "Why are they calling you mommy and daddy?" they asked.

Ranma blushed and replied nervously, "Hehehehe. That's because we're their parents."

"What?" Nabiki yelled in shock as she stared at her sister's face and then back towards Ranma. "You're kidding me!" You two would never do anything like that....I mean," she paused, taking a deep calming breath and continued, "the last time we saw you, you were ready to kill each other!"   
  
Akane grinned as she watched her sister's display of emotion. Akane knew that when Nabiki became surprised, she tended to scream. When the middle Tendo was finished, Akane replied, "Yes, we were at each other's throats. But, so much has happened since we were trapped on that island."

Kasumi ignored the commotion of her father and Mr Saotome dancing around like idiots while waving flags in the air and screaming, "Our schools have finally been joined. Oh happy day!" Instead she stared at the two small children and a smile slowly worked its way across her face, kneeling down she called out softly towards the two toddlers, "Hello, I'm your aunt Kasumi. Would you like to go inside for something to eat?"

  
Kamiko liked this lady and nodded while nudging Tenma in the ribs, "Yes. Come on Tenma....let's eat!" She followed Kasumi into the house.

"Hey! don't do that Kamiko," Tenma grumbled as he followed his sister. Nabiki, Soun and Genma could hear the little boy's last parting shot before he was too far away to hear anything more "...you are so uncute!"

"BAKA!" came the reply that was followed by a loud banging sound.

Blinking, Nabiki replied, "Yep. That's their children alright!"

  
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Later that night as Ranma and Akane got ready for bead, Ranma reflected on the past few years. Slowly, climbing into bed Ranma whispered, "I love ya very much and I can't believe how much it took us to get ta where we are today," then, he leaned forward, enveloped Akane in his arms and kissed her.

  
When Akane was able to regain her breath, she gently brushed away a lock of hair that blocked her view of Ranma's deep blue eyes and whispered lovingly, I love you too, Ranma.


End file.
